Hope is all we have left
by AkatsukiNoZare
Summary: /Iwaizumi's little smile was faded when he heard distant gunfire. He took a deep breath, snatched his gun from the table and hurried outside. Now there was no turning back./ A little like a zombie apocalypse AU, but with different creatures.
1. Chapter 1

"Have I made myself clear?" The voice from the radiophone flitted and crackled a bit, but the connection was good enough for Iwaizumi to understand the main point. "You have two missions: to protect the civilians and to eliminate the Dolls." The Dolls, those horrible creatures, were the ones that kept the whole city under a threat. They were like zombies, but way quicker and – luckily – easier to kill. The whole city and supposedly the whole Japan was affected by a strange disease which spread like a wildfire by a Doll's bite. After you got bitten, you had roughly fifteen minutes time to get an antibiotic before you turned into a Doll yourself. Your face would start cracking like a clay mask and your canine teeth would grow comparable to vampires'. The Dolls didn't seem to have awareness or emotions. Their only task was to kill everything that came in their way. The name 'Dolls' suit them perfectly – they were just killing machines guided by something unknown. They were a serious threat to humanity.  
"Yes, captain", Iwaizumi answered to the radiophone and turned to look at his team. Kuroo, the one who was speaking, was the leader of all of them, but he was also the captain of this team. There were roughly twenty soldiers in the city, and they were divided into five teams. The sixth team were the medics, who stayed out of contact with the Dolls. Each team had five members, and one of them was in charge of taking care of the antibiotics. Kuroo led team Cat, which consisted of Kuroo himself, Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Kenma. Kenma was mostly a strategist, and Oikawa wasn't officially even a soldier. He was a self-taught sniper, who insisted to help the teams to get rid of the Dolls. He was in charge of team Cat's antibiotics. Iwaizumi was the vice-captain, and mostly oversaw the team when Kuroo had to do something else.

"You heard him. This is no practice anymore. Our lives are in line, but we have a mission to complete. If anyone is scared now, he is free to leave. There are no second chances in the battlefield", Iwaizumi stated and looked every soldier in their turn. Oikawa didn't even blink an eye, he just stared right back to Iwaizumi, eyes calm and serious. Kenma looked like he didn't care, but the bags under his eyes told that he wasn't as calm as he pretended to be. Then Iwaizumi turned his gaze to the other presence team, the Owls. Their captain, Bokuto, seemed rather excited. His vice-captain and the team's sniper, Akaashi, had the same emotion as Kenma did, but behind that could be seen a slight concern about his captain's recklessness. The other two, Semi and Kuguri, were just as calm as Oikawa was. Iwaizumi was sure that they all were excellent soldiers, and that was exactly why he didn't want to send them to the battle against the Dolls. Every one of them would die before giving up. And most of them would, Iwaizumi knew that. He had to send these soldiers to face their fates.  
"Crows and Eagles are on the western side of the city", Iwaizumi begun to explain their situations to the teams. "So we go to the eastern side. The Snakes are supposed to be somewhere in the middle, but you never know about them." The Snakes was the team that consisted of the most reckless soldiers of the city. The team got even a nickname 'Suicide squad' because they usually don't even use guns. They prefer knives, grenades and stuff like that, and take straight contact with the Dolls more than the other teams.  
"Akaashi, I think this would be a good place for you", Iwaizumi suggested to the sniper and pointed at the map. "It's a high, abandoned building, so you could probably find a good hiding place from there." He looked at the map for a moment. "And Oikawa, you could go here."  
"It's pretty near the place where Eagles saw a bunch of Dolls lately", Oikawa noted and pouted. "Are you trying to get me killed right at the start, Iwa-chan?"  
"As if", Iwaizumi huffed. "Although you are annoying as hell, we need your skills. This is an old market. It's a perfect place to hide, and you can block the doors and windows with the stuff laying around there."  
"As you wish", Oikawa nodded and picked his rifle up from the floor, starting to walk towards the entrance. "Is Kenma going to stay with you?"  
"Kuroo should be here shortly", Iwaizumi told. "But yes, he will be staying here with me for a while."  
"Akaaaaashi, why you always listen to Iwaizumi easier than me?" The brunet heard a familiar complaint from afar, and he gazed to the other team's captain, who was following his sniper with an upset expression.  
"He is careful with his decisions, Bokuto-san", Akaashi sighed. "We would be dead in an instant if I'd always follow you." Semi and Kuguri looked at each other, shrugged and followed their captain and sniper to outside. Iwaizumi couldn't help but chuckle. Akaashi was right. Bokuto was a fearless and skillful fighter, but he wasn't a strategist at all. In short, he was pretty simple-minded.  
Iwaizumi's little smile was faded when he heard distant gunfire. He took a deep breath, snatched his gun from the table and hurried outside. Now there was no turning back.


	2. Chapter 2

Iwaizumi listened to the echoing of the gunfire and furrowed his brows. "Iwaizumi calls for team Crow", he stated to his radiophone. "Do you hear me?"  
"We hear you", the sound from the other end of the line said. Iwaizumi was pretty sure it was Daichi, Crows' captain. "The situation is still under control, no worries. There are just more Dolls than excepted here."  
"I'm glad to hear that. The Owls are nearby, try to reach them if you face problems", Iwaizumi noted. "Clear."  
"Clear." Iwaizumi put the radiophone back to its place on his shoulder and walked down the hill. Everything seemed alright, so he could do his part in killing Dolls now instead of overseeing the city. He kept his guards up while walking between the high buildings, since Dolls were almost everywhere. However, as long as he wouldn't come across a pack of more than ten Dolls, he should be fine.  
Speak of the devil. When Iwaizumi turned in the next street corner, he saw a whole ocean of Dolls. This was probably one of their headquarters. Iwaizumi turned around and tried to get away before any of them would notice him, but he knew he was late when he heard a screeching voice behind him.  
"Shit", he muttered, turned back around and saw roughly thirty Dolls moving towards him. He took the radiophone off his shoulder and pressed the red button, which connected him to all other radiophones.  
"Over forty Dolls in Street 7. Iwaizumi here, I'm all alone. Send help. I repeat, over forty Dolls in Street 7." He put the radiophone back on his shoulder without cutting the connection off. He took the guns from his waist and locked his eyes on the Dolls. Some of them were people he knew, but Iwaizumi tried not to think about that. They were just beasts now, emotionless hunting machines.  
"Kageyama calls Iwaizumi. Crows are nearby, we are there in few minutes, just hang on."  
"We need more force", Iwaizumi answered. "Where is team Eagles?"  
"Five minutes. We are on our way."  
"Good", Iwaizumi huffed and took a few steps back. "Here I go then." When he pulled the trigger, the Dolls that had been moving slowly until now snapped. One of them fell down by Iwaizumi's bullet, two others seemed to lose their calm and screamed like dying animals, while the others started running towards Iwaizumi. Now the others too had turned their attention to Iwaizumi, and soon he was surrounded by a pack of Dolls.  
"How the heck are you named 'Dolls' when you are literally the most horrible creatures I have ever seen?" Iwaizumi muttered and shoot twice more. Two more lifeless monsters.  
"Mama?" He flinched when he heard a quiet, helpless voice, and when he turned his head he saw a little girl standing ten meters from them. "Mama!" She was clearly lost, and Iwaizumi would have guessed that her mother was one of the Dolls. Her voice made three of the Dolls turn their attention from Iwaizumi, and they started to move towards the kid.  
"Fuck, not now", Iwaizumi hissed, spun around to kick the nearest Doll to head and shoot five times more to get himself out of the circle of Dolls. He ran to the girl and snatched her to his embrace without stopping.  
"Why are you here all by yourself?" Iwaizumi murmured to the crying girl. "It's okay. I'll take you to a safe place." Running with a kid was slower than without and Iwaizumi knew what that meant. The Dolls would catch him in no time. He gazed above his shoulder and saw that about twenty Dolls were following him. He was right, they were quickly catching up. However, there was no way Iwaizumi could have left the girl here. Soldier's duty was to protect civilians or die while trying.  
Sharp claws tore the back of his shirt apart, leaving nasty wounds in his back, and Iwaizumi took a sharp breath and lost his balance. He was quick enough to turn to his side so the girl wouldn't get hurt, but he couldn't get up before two Dolls caught him. Iwaizumi growled and protected the screaming girl with his hand. The claws were tearing his skin and he felt how one of Dolls dug its teeth in his leg. Iwaizumi reached for the knife in his pocket and stabbed it deep in the Doll's head. Then he kicked the one on top of him and pulled the girl nearer him. Now he could reach his gun which had fell when he tripped. Two shots later he was free for a moment and got to get up. However, he knew he wouldn't get far with a wounded leg, so he stayed still and pulled the trembling girl even closer to keep her safe. He didn't have many bullets left, but it shouldn't be long until…  
"Get down!" He heard a loud voice behind them and instantly kneeled down, pushing the girl's head down and holding her still. A loud gunshot caused the Dolls to turn their attention to the arrived soldiers. Using this as a chance Iwaizumi dragged backwards to get nearer the other soldiers. For a while after that all Iwaizumi could hear were gunfire, horrifying screams and the voice of soldiers giving orders to each other.  
"Iwaizumi? Iwaizumi, do you hear me?" he recognized the voice of Daichi and lifted his head a bit.  
"Yea", he breathed out. "The girl…"  
"Tsukishima, take this kid away from here and check if she's alright", Daichi ordered one of his underlings. The tall blonde nodded, took the girl on his arms and leaved the field.  
"Did they bite you?" Daichi asked, turning his attention back to Iwaizumi.  
"In the leg", Iwaizumi muttered. The world had started spinning in his head, and the pain felt like it was burning him. He barely could feel a pinch in his arm when antibiotic was given to him.  
"Hey, stay awake", Daichi demanded and carefully shook his shoulder.  
"Fuck", Iwaizumi breathed out. "I was careless."  
"As if. You saved the kid. Now you just have to stay awake a while." Daichi was tying Iwaizumi's wounds, speaking calmly to him to keep him conscious. The others got the Dolls to retreat after killing eleven of them. No one of them seemed badly wounded, Iwaizumi noted relievedly.  
"You should have waited for us, you know?" Kageyama pointed out. "You got hurt pretty badly."  
"I tried to", Iwaizumi huffed and lifted his head to meet other man's eyes. "But they noticed me before I could hide. And then that girl showed up." He had to stop talking due the nauseous feeling in his stomach, and he gripped his head letting out a pained sigh.  
"Can you stand? We should get you to the medics as soon as possible", Daichi said and observed the brunet's eyes with a worried face. "You are getting pale."  
"Let's see…" Iwaizumi bended himself to lean on the ground with his hand and stood up with a pained gurn on his face, reeled a bit while trying to keep his balance and then gripped Daichi's shoulder so he wouldn't fall back to the ground. His leg was killing him, the pain felt in his whole body and his head felt like blowing up. With a help of Daichi and Kageyama he started to make his way to the headquarters, while the other soldiers went back to their positions.  
"Iwa-chan! Hajime, are you alright?" Iwaizumi noticed Oikawa's voice from the radiophone instantly. Daichi took the radiophone from Iwaizumi's shoulder without giving Iwaizumi any time to react.  
"Daichi here, Oikawa. I can't say Iwaizumi is alright, but there's nothing to worry about. He will be back in track soon."  
"Daichi? Is Hajime unconscious?"  
"I'm not, Trashykawa", Iwaizumi snorted when Daichi handed the radiophone over. "I just injured my leg. And back. And arms. But I'm alive. Come to the headquarters if you feel nervous."  
"I'm already here", Oikawa sneered. "Needed to refill the antibiotics. Are you far away?"  
"I said I'll be there soon", Iwaizumi sighed. "Just mind your own business."  
"Mean!"  
"Are Kuroo and Kenma there?" Iwaizumi asked. The line fell silent for a moment.  
"Yea, I guess. Or no, they just left. Why?" Oikawa sounded curious, but Iwaizumi just clicked his tongue.  
"Just asking. They are our teammates, after all", Iwaizumi murmured, starting to feel dizzy again. "See you soon, okay?"  
"Hajime? You sound weird. Is everything okay? Hajime?"  
"Now now, let him rest a bit, Oikawa", Kageyama snarled and clicked his tongue, taking the radiophone from Iwaizumi. "He's barely awake, after all. Now sit down and wait a bit, we are there in a minute."  
"As you say, Tobio-chan. Clear." Oikawa's voice was clearly sarcastic, but it didn't seem to bother Kageyama. The raven-haired man closed the line and put the radiophone back to Iwaizumi's shoulder.  
"Just try to stay awake, Iwaizumi. We don't know if you'll wake up again after this kind of blood loss if you pass out now."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
"'Just injured your leg'? It looks horrible!" Iwaizumi couldn't help but sigh when Oikawa started overreacting right after he got in the same room with him. "And you are even paler than me! You look like a corpse, Hajime!"  
"Relax, I'm not a zombie", Iwaizumi snorted and turned to lay on his chest while the leading medic, Kiyoko, observed the wounds in his back. "I'm better already. I just needed something to drink."  
"You are really strange, Hajime", Oikawa hummed and kneeled down next to him. "I would have died already. I mean, you lost so damn much blood that you could fill a pool with it."  
"Thanks for the image. You are overacting."  
"I'm just worried!" Oikawa reasoned his actions. "Those wounds look painful."  
"You don't need to remind me about that", Iwaizumi snarled. "But you talk like my whole leg was bitten off. It might be a deep wound, but it will be fine in few days."  
"No, it won't", Takeda, one of the medics, interrupted their conversation. "You won't be moving anywhere with that leg at least for a week. And even after that you shouldn't strain it in a month.  
"As if I'd stay here that long", Iwaizumi huffed. "I'm quick to recover, as you know very well."  
"Yes, I know, and that's why I said one month instead of two", Takeda stated. "Be serious about this, Iwaizumi. At this rate you won't be able to do this for long."  
"How long you think we are going to have to keep doing this?" Iwaizumi snapped. "I know my body the best. I won't be reckless, but a month is way too much. The quicker I go back there, the quicker we get this all done."  
Takeda looked at him with squinted eyes, but just shrugged. "As you say. Just don't wore yourself out."  
"I won't", Iwaizumi promised. "I'm way tougher than you think."


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you really think we will get away from here someday?" Iwaizumi raised his brows to Oikawa's question and turned to look at him.  
"Of course we will", the shorter brunet huffed. "What are you even blabbering about?"  
Oikawa sighed and sat on the ground, leaning his head back. His hair fell over his eyes despite the bandana he was wearing, and he blew them to the side to see better.  
"This city. Will it get back on its feet someday? Or will the Dolls destroy it?" the pale man murmured. "I can't help but question that."  
"And I thought you had the best fighting morale of all of us, since you joined voluntarily", Iwaizumi snarled. "I already said this, but there is no going back now. Of course we will get away from here when we got our job done. As long as civils stay in their houses and don't make contact with Dolls, everything is under control. We just have to find the hiding Dolls to get rid of them along with the others. What's gotten into you? It's not like you to speak like that." He leaned closer to Oikawa and ran his fingers through his fluffy hair. "Hey, look at me."  
"You almost died, Hajime, and still you can speak like that", Oikawa whispered without turning his head. "Do you have any idea how I feel? You got badly hurt really often, and I never know if you will be alive or not when I come back to the headquarters in the evening. It scares me." He took a shaky breath and turned his face towards Iwaizumi. "There you have it. The reason I am like this."  
"Tooru, you…" Iwaizumi tried to find the fitting words. "You shouldn't think like that. I'm not that easy to kill, you know. As if I'd leave you without saying goodbyes."  
"Is that supposed to comfort?"  
"It is."  
"Okay then", Oikawa sniffed and leaned his head to Iwaizumi's shoulder. "I'm comforted. But that was a promise, Hajime."  
"What was?"  
Oikawa raised his head and smiled to the confused expression on Iwaizumi's face. "That you won't leave without saying goodbye."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"It is better already, as I said", Iwaizumi insisted and turned to look at Takeda, who had crossed his arms and looked back with raised brows.  
"It has been only five days, and you are still limping", the short man noted. "You will get yourself killed if you go back now, Iwaizumi."  
"As if I'd be that careless. I'll stay together with Crows if that helps you to calm down", Iwaizumi huffed. "I will not take direct contact with Dolls. But I have to go back to the battle ground, I feel useless when I'm here."  
"It's not a matter if I feel nervous or you feel useless. The thing here is that your leg will most supposedly give up if you strain it now. The wound could inflame and get worse, and that could make you unable to walk completely."  
"I will not strain it. I'm not that stupid. But I'm the vice-captain here, I can't just hide here while the others are risking their lives by my command", Iwaizumi stated, not giving up an inch. "I will stay out of the battles if you say so, but I will not stay here."  
"I don't trust you with that", Takeda sighed. "You will the most doubtlessly fight anyway. I won't-"  
"I can take care of that", Oikawa interrupted the conversation. "I will keep him away from fights." Both Iwaizumi and Takeda looked confusedly at him, and Oikawa shrugged with a pout on his face.  
"What? His presence boosts the morale of the soldiers. It's better if he is there, even if he doesn't fight", the brunet muttered without looking at them. "And besides, he would go anyway even if you'd try to stop him, Take-chan. He would only hurt himself by doing that."  
"That's a good point", Takeda admitted before Iwaizumi had time to answer something really nosy to the other soldier. "I'll trust you with this, Oikawa. Iwaizumi, you two will have a straight connection through your radiophones. I will give you another one, since you need it to call the other teams, but I guess Oikawa will be fine without the second one?"  
"Yea, I will", Oikawa confirmed and flashed a nonchalant peace-sign. "Shall we go, Hajime?"  
"Whatever, treat me like a kid then if you want to", Iwaizumi muttered and rolled his eyes. "You always find a way to stalk me, don't you?"  
"It's not stalking when you know about it."  
"You creep!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Iwaizumi put the other radiophone – the one which connected only to Oikawa's one – in his pocket and fastened the other one on his shoulder supporter. He felt relieved to walk between the high buildings again, since he felt truly alive only when he could feel the dangerous atmosphere around him. He wasn't here to rest. He needed to do his job.  
"Hajime, where are you?" he heard Oikawa's voice from the radiophone in his pocket, and took it in his hand.  
"On Street 15. Daichi said they are near the abandoned supermarket", he told. "This street is marked safe, so don't worry." Every soldier had a few color bullets with them, and they marked the safe streets with blue color and the dangerous ones with red. If a street was considered safe, there hadn't been Dolls in last three weeks. Even when the Dolls seemed to not have their own will, they used to gather together and avoid soldiers. They might have some intelligence after all, and that made Iwaizumi feel uneasy.  
"What about you?" he asked Oikawa. "Where are you now?"  
"Near Street 10 where the Owls are", Oikawa answered. "I found a good sniping place from the old hospital."  
"Good", Iwaizumi hummed. "I have to hang up now, Daichi is calling."  
"Ya. Later", Oikawa chirped.  
"Later." Iwaizumi put the radiophone back in his pocket and took the other one from his shoulder. "Iwaizumi here. I'm listening."  
"Are you here soon?" Daichi asked. "It's pretty calm here. We thought that we could move to the Street 17", he continued when Iwaizumi answered positively. "But if you aren't that far, we can wait you."  
"Yup, just a few minutes", Iwaizumi said. "Heard anything of Daishou and the others?"  
"Snakes? No, they are probably somewhere near the headquarters", Daichi assumed. "Bokuto talked with them in the morning, so they are all still alive, don't worry."  
"That's good to hear", Iwaizumi sneered. "Well, I'll soon be there, so bye for now. Clear."  
"Yep, see you soon. Clear."  
Iwaizumi put the radiophone back to its place and kept walking while looking around. This really was a peaceful street, all the windows in the buildings were intact and some of the houses were even populous. If it wasn't so far away from the headquarters, it would have been a perfect place to evacuate the civilians.  
He greeted Daichi and the other Crows and they headed to the Street 17. The streets had names too, nr. 17 was called Blackford avenue, but they were commonly called with numbers among soldiers. The higher the number was, the further it was from the headquarters. That was a way to keep track of where the teams were, since many of the soldiers didn't remember the streets' names correctly.  
"Owls were tracking a pack of about twenty Dolls", Daichi told while they were walking. "I guess Oikawa is there too?"  
"Yea, he is", Iwaizumi noted. "Since Akaashi is with the Eagles teaching a few tricks to Shirabu, they don't have a sniper, so it was the best for Oikawa to go there", he explained.  
"Shirabu is a promising sniper", Daichi admitted. "If Akaashi teaches him, he will surpass even Oikawa in no time."  
"Why do you use Tooru as the baseline?" Iwaizumi huffed. "You know as well as I do that Akaashi is our most skilled sniper, and Sugawara is right after him."  
"But Oikawa is a self-taught sniper as well as Shirabu is, and that is something else", Daichi reminded. "Shirabu got the basic tricks from the military's lessons, but he has improved on his own."  
"You are right", Iwaizumi nodded. "And Oikawa isn't even part of the military, that jerk. I guess Shirabu needs to surpass Oikawa before he can even think of reaching Akaashi and Sugawara."  
"They all are skillful in their own ways", Daichi noted. "Don't forget that."  
"Iwaizumi-san?" The brunet turned his head when he heard his name being called. A few meters from them were standing two civilians, and Iwaizumi recognized both of them: the girl he had saved back then and Tatsumi, the owner of the general store nearby.  
"Tatsumi?" Iwaizumi raised his brows. "Why are you here? You should be somewhere safe from the Dolls."  
"We will go back soon, but we needed to thank you", the man said and bowed a bit. "Thank you for saving my daughter."  
"She's your daughter?" Iwaizumi repeated and looked at the little girl. "I didn't notice. And no problem, it's our duty to protect civilians."  
"Thank you, Iwaizumi-san", Maria ran to Iwaizumi and thanked him with a bright voice. "I'm so sorry that you got hurt!"  
A soft smile appeared on Iwaizumi's face and he crouched down, although it hurt his injured leg, and patted the girl's head. "It's okay", he assured with a warm voice. "I'm not badly hurt. But you should really go back to your home, it isn't safe to stay here." Maria nodded and toddled back to her father.  
"Um, Iwaizumi-san? Did you… see my wife there?" Tatsumi asked with a quiet, hesitant voice. Iwaizumi stood up and scratched the back of his head.  
"I'm sorry, but I don't really think what my opponents look like", he answered. "If you understand. But if she hasn't come back home, you know what that probably means."  
"Yes, I understand and know that", Tatsumi sighed. "Thank you again. Maria, let's go back home now, Iwaizumi-san needs to keep going."  
"Yes, Papa. Thank you, Iwaizumi-san!" Iwaizumi waved goodbyes to the civilians and turned back to Daichi, letting out a quiet sigh.  
"To think that we most probably shot his wife and he's still so polite…"  
"We aren't supposed to think about that, Iwaizumi", Daichi reminded. "She was a Doll. There's no helping it."  
"I know, I know." They kept walking and arrived to the 17th Street safely. Iwaizumi's leg was bugging him, and he knew he shouldn't have bended it before. However, it wasn't enough to slow him down, so he didn't mention it to Daichi.  
Iwaizumi noticed the quiet voice from his pocket and took the radiophone out, turning the volume up.  
"Hajime? Hajime, please answer." Oikawa sounded distressed and he was panting.  
"I hear you, Tooru. What's wrong?" Iwaizumi stopped walking and signed the other to do the same.  
"Thank god! The Dolls found us, Hajime. There were like seventy more than we thought… We called the Eagles and got the Dolls to retreat somehow, but we lost Kuguri, Kindaichi and Semi. And they found me, too. Fuck, Hajime, I'm so damn glad to be still alive."  
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Iwaizumi breathed out. "You lost three men? Are the others okay?"  
"I suppose so", Oikawa told. "I don't really know the situation since I had to hide from the Dolls and got separated from the rest of the teams."  
"What about you? You sound pained", Iwaizumi asked worriedly.  
"I'm not that good… I got bitten and have to take an antibiotic, wait a minute…" The line fell silent for a moment, and the uneasy feeling in Iwaizumi's chest grew bigger and bigger while waiting for Oikawa to say something.  
"Shit. Hajime?"  
"What is it?" the brunet asked, tensed from head to toe. Oikawa took a deep, shaky breath.  
"I've run out of antibiotics."


	4. Chapter 4

"Sugawara!" Iwaizumi aspirated and turned instantly to look at the sniper after hearing Oikawa's words.  
"I heard. I still have antibiotics left. Where is he?" the grey-haired man asked.  
"Tooru, are you still in the old hospital?" Iwaizumi asked, trying to keep his voice calm. "Which floor?"  
"No, I'm in the shop on Street 10", Oikawa's voice was getting quiet. "The one with a red roof." Sugawara nodded and signed Kageyama to come with him, and the two men left the others and headed to Street 10.  
"Sugawara and Kageyama are on their way. Just hang on, okay? How long has it been?" Iwaizumi was getting nervous, but this was all he could do since he couldn't run with his injured leg. "Where did you get bitten?"  
"In the right arm. Something like five minutes ago."  
"There's roughly ten left, then. Sugawara should be there in five. Just stay calm and watch out for more Dolls. What even happened there?" Iwaizumi wanted to know.  
"As I said, the Owls were tracking a pack of twenty Dolls. I was following them, ready to give some backup if needed. But we stumbled across Dolls' headquarters or something, and suddenly there were over sixty Dolls", Oikawa explained, voice hoarse and almost as quiet as a whisper. "We didn't get the situation under control, so we called Eagles to help. I think even Daishou and others showed up on some point. However, Kindaichi, Kuguri and Semi got killed. And somehow the Dolls found me and I couldn't get away fast enough. I don't know how the others are doing."  
"Almost seventy Dolls would be a pain even for all of us together. But I guess retreating wasn't an option", Iwaizumi muttered and glanced Daichi. "Try to reach them." The other soldier nodded and took his radiophone from his pocket.  
"Why didn't you call someone that would have been closer-" Iwaizumi didn't even finish his words before he remembered that Oikawa's radiophone connected only to his now. "Nevermind. Do you still hear me, Tooru? Just try to stay awake."  
"My head feels heavy", Oikawa murmured. "And my beautiful skin is dry. I feel horrible, Hajime."  
"Whining doesn't help", Iwaizumi reminded. "When Sugawara comes, tell him to return to the headquarters with you and Kageyama after helping you. We need to check the situation there."  
"I'll tell if I haven't passed out till then", Oikawa snarled. "I don't have any critical wounds besides the bite, so I think I'll be fine, though. You survived with way more fatal wounds."  
"That's true, so just stay still and wait. Sugawara should be there in a minute", Iwaizumi noted. "Stay calm and remember to breathe."  
"Shit, Hajime, my arm burns like hell", Oikawa hissed. "It's completely purple around the wound."  
"Don't think about it", Iwaizumi demanded, but he could feel a tightening feeling in his chest. Oikawa didn't have much time left before he would turn into a Doll  
"Ah, Sugawara is here, bye now." Words were quick and Iwaizumi didn't have even time to answer before Oikawa cut the connection out.  
"Shit", the brunet muttered and put the radiophone in his pocket.  
"It would be bad if Oikawa turned into a Doll", Daichi muttered. "I mean even if he wouldn't lose himself and practically die. Killing him would be really difficult."  
"He's not that skilled, Daichi", Iwaizumi muttered and gritted his teeth without looking at the Crows' captain. "It wouldn't-"  
"I didn't mean it like that", Daichi interrupted him. "Be honest to yourself, Iwaizumi. Killing our own teammate is the worst fear for all of us, so that would shut you out of the force. That would risk your life. We all know that you couldn't kill a single one of us, the least Oikawa. It's the same as with me and Sugawara. I could never hurt him even if he was a Doll. And you are a true vice-captain because of that: you care about us." Iwaizumi stared at him without finding words to answer.  
"I... I do not..." he gritted his teeth again and turned his head away from Daichi. "Fine. You are right. I don't like this job and don't want to hurt any of you. I've gotten used to not thinking of how my opponents look like, but if it would be one of us... I wouldn't be able to not think about that. The least if it was Tooru. And that's exactly why we should be careful, Daichi", he continued and turned to look at the other soldier again. "I guess everyone feels the same. But we shouldn't think about that. We have made up our minds and decided to stay here."  
"As you say, but remember to stay honest to yourself", Daichi pleaded. "If Oikawa doesn't make it and turns into a Doll-"  
"That's nothing for us to worry about now", Iwaizumi stated. "But if that happens, I will be the one to shoot him. There is no other option for me."  
"Iwaizumi-"  
"How are the Owls? Did you reach them?" That was an obvious change of subject, and Daichi was quiet for a few seconds before answering.  
"I did. No losses besides Kuguri, Kindaichi and Semi, but they had to leave the corpses to the Dolls. According to my information, Oikawa gave his antibiotics to Akaashi so he could help the injured while Oikawa stayed in his position. Bokuto injured his back but not badly, and Tanaka from Snakes sprained his shoulder. Others are fine."  
"Good. Let's head back to the headquarters." Iwaizumi didn't look at Daichi when he started to limp forward. Daichi looked after him for a while, then signing Tsukishima to follow and jogged to Iwaizumi.  
"I'll try to reach Kageyama", he said to the vice-captain. "We don't need to hurry. Don't strain your leg." Iwaizumi didn't answer, so Daichi just connected his radiophone to his teammates'.  
"Kageyama or Suga, do you hear me?"  
"We hear you, captain. We found Oikawa, but he fell unconscious a minute after we arrived. Sugawara gave him the antibiotic, but we aren't sure if he got it in time", Kageyama's voice answered. Iwaizumi flinched and snatched the radiophone from Daichi.  
"Where are you now?" he asked with a tense voice. "How does Tooru look? Is his skin dry? What are the eyes like?"  
"On our way to the headquarters. Oikawa's skin is as dry as a desert, but I think it's still far away from the Dolls'. His pupils are small, but not cat-like yet. And his canine teeth are normal. Weren't those the main things we are supposed to check?"  
"Yes, they were. Thanks. What about the wound?"  
"It looks…" Kageyama was quiet for a moment. "Painful. It looks inflamed, and the whole arm is purple. I don't know if we can save it."  
"Kiyoko will know that. If you haven't reached the medics yet, do it now. We are there in few minutes", Iwaizumi said and gave the radiophone back to Daichi. "Sorry about that." He didn't wait for a response when he started to run towards the headquarters not giving a simple thought to his leg which was now burning in pain. He heard Daichi's voice behind him, but he didn't slow down. He needed to get to the headquarters as soon as possible. He needed to see Tooru right now – because they wouldn't leave each other without saying goodbyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Are you trying to say that I should wait outside?" Iwaizumi snapped to the short medic called Yachi. "He is my teammate. I need to know how he is."  
"But Iwaizumi-san, it wouldn't change anything", Yachi reasoned carefully, clearly a little bit scared of making the vice-captain even angrier. "Shimizu and Moniwa are doing everything they can to help Oikawa. I think you should sit down and rest a bit, you are clearly tired from running and your leg should get some rest now. I will tell if anything critical happens, but right now it wouldn't be wise to let someone other than a medic there."  
Iwaizumi took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Fine. If it's for his safety, I'll stay here. How are the others? Bokuto was here a while ago, right?" he assumed.  
"Yes, he was. His back is luckily alright, but he should take it easy for a few days. Akaashi promised to keep him out of the fights, but honestly I feel awful for giving him even more things to do", Yachi uttered an uncomfortable laugh and run her fingers through her hair. "Especially now that they are the only ones in team Owl. I'm afraid that he'll overwork himself."  
"I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry", Iwaizumi promised. "So they are mentally alright?"  
"Mostly yes, although I think Bokuto blames himself of what happened. But he's mentally strong person, I think he will pick himself up soon", Yachi sighed. "But if you wouldn't mind…"  
"I can talk to him", Iwaizumi said before Yachi even finished her sentence. "I won't let him take any burden of this. This is war, and in war there's no way to avoid deaths. I'm actually glad that the situation wasn't even worse", he sighed. "They could've all died."  
"You are right. Bokuto said he was going to the Hill", Yachi told, referring to the steep hill in the border of the city. "Just make sure that he is in a mood for talking."  
"I will. Thanks", Iwaizumi nodded to the medic. "And sorry for yelling at you, Yachi. You are just doing your work."  
"So are you", Yachi hummed. "Go now. But remember to be careful with your leg."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Bokuto was sitting on the grass, eyes staring blankly ahead. Iwaizumi walked to him and sit down next to the soldier, not saying anything. It was quiet for a change, the only considerable voice being the quiet whistling of the wind. Iwaizumi lit a cigarette, still staying quiet.  
"You know", Bokuto was the first to break the silence. "I never thought that this would be so difficult. I thought that we would just come here, kill the Dolls and go back home. I was so naïve." He uttered a dry laughter. "And now, when Kuguri and Semi are gone, I still can't help but to be glad that at least Akaashi is fine. I'm such a horrible captain, aren't I?"  
"No, you are not", Iwaizumi alleged, taking a deep breath from his cigarette. "You have a right to be glad about that. Your situation could've turned out worse, after all. It's not wrong to feel relieved about the survivors."  
"It's captain's duty to lead their underlings and protect them", Bokuto sighed and leaned back. "I failed."  
"There's no helping it. This is war", Iwaizumi reminded and blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth. "I know how you feel, and it's the only way to feel right now. But Bokuto, you should turn that feeling into strength, not self-hatred. Kuguri and Semi made their own decisions, and I would swear that they never regretted following you."  
"You are right", Bokuto muttered. "They were true soldiers. I couldn't be prouder of them." He let out a deep sigh and fell on his back to the ground. "The thing is that we couldn't get their bodies back from Dolls. What am I supposed to tell to their relatives, if we ever meet them?"  
"I will take care of that", Iwaizumi promised. "It's my duty as a vice-captain. Bokuto, nothing that happened was your fault. You were in a situation where deaths can't be avoided. I'm not telling you to get used to it, that's impossible, but you shouldn't blame yourself. No one should carry the burden of someone's death all by themselves. You are a true captain, and this proves it. No captain should ignore their underlings' pain." Iwaizumi was quiet for a slight moment and then continued: "We all thought that this would be over quickly. We have been lucky until now, surviving over seven months in the middle of the Dolls is an achievement itself." He turned to look at the other soldier and gripped his shoulder, looking straight in his eyes. "Turn these losses into a strength to keep fighting. We will get out of here as soon as possible, but until then we must keep fighting for the sake of these people – and the ones we have lost", the brunet stated with a determined voice. Bokuto looked at him for a while, and Iwaizumi could see the familiar burn lighting up again in his eyes.  
"You are right as usual, Iwaizumi", the soldier noted and stood up. "If I give up now, I would betray Kuguri and Semi. And Kindaichi, although he wasn't in my team."  
"That's the right way to talk", Iwaizumi encouraged and dumped the cigarette in the stone next to him, then standing up and crossing his arms. "We will clean this city of Dolls, even if it'd take years. That's the path of a soldier."


	5. Chapter 5

Iwaizumi couldn't sleep. Even despite the fact that his leg was killing him, his mind was racing in totally different matters. It has been three days since Oikawa had got bitten, and Iwaizumi still hadn't seen him. Yachi kept insisting that it would be better if others stayed outside of the operating room. Just the fact that Oikawa was in the operating room made Iwaizumi feel uneasy, and he probably knew what was the cause of that.  
After a few hours of meaningless laying in bed the brunet gave up trying to sleep and stood up. He headed to the door, walking carefully on his tip-toes to avoid waking the others up. The soldiers that didn't originally live in this city were all sleeping in the same room. Some lucky ones could go back to their houses and sleep in proper beds, but here all they had as 'beds' were thin underlays and sleeping bags. Iwaizumi didn't mind that, though, he wasn't the type to sleep well in soft bed anyway. The door creaked when the vice-captain opened it, but luckily it didn't wake anyone up, so Iwaizumi just walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. He headed outside to the Hill and sat down. The wind felt cold against his skin and it made his old wounds ache, but he didn't mind it. It wouldn't be long before it would snow. Sleeveless shirt and thin cargo trousers weren't probably the best clothing when the weather was this cold, but Iwaizumi didn't mind that either. He didn't know if he cared about anything these days besides his teammates and other soldiers. They had been his family since he lost his real one ten years ago. Iwaizumi was one of the few soldiers who had started their training under-aged, for Iwaizumi it was when he was thirteen. His parents and two little sisters were one of the first Dolls' victims. The Dolls had appeared over ten years ago, but the situation had been under control until last year, when they took over the city and most probably the whole country.  
Iwaizumi let out a deep sigh and leaned his head on his hand. It would soon be time for the annual fair that had been the city's pride for years. It was the only day of the year when the civilians were allowed to walk freely around the city. Before it had been a day off for the official authority of the city, but now it was a crucial day for the army. The soldiers could not let their guards down for even a second if they wanted to keep the Dolls away from the civilians.  
Iwaizumi buried his face to his knees. Nothing made him more tired or upset than thinking of the city's 'development'. The brunet heard steps coming closer him, and someone sat down next to him.  
"You shouldn't be here this late", Kageyama said with a calm voice. "You should sleep when you have a chance."  
"The same goes to you", Iwaizumi noted and straightened up his back. "Why are you here?"  
"You woke me up, so I thought I should come to check where you went", Kageyama explained. "You really should wear a jacket, Iwaizumi. You will catch a cold."  
"That's the smallest of my fears right now", Iwaizumi sighed. "How do you think the fair will go?"  
"It's in three weeks, right? I think it will be fine as long as we stay careful", Kageyama said. "And you should really rest, or your leg won't be fine then. It would cause problems for us."  
"Are you saying that you are helpless without me?" Iwaizumi snarled and glanced the raven-haired soldier. "You should really grow up already." Kageyama punched his shoulder lightly and pouted.  
"Well, you taught me how to fight, after all. And it will boost all soldiers' morale if you are at your best", he reasoned.  
"Everyone keeps saying that", Iwaizumi sighed. "To be honest, I'm not that sure about it. I'm not as fearless as everyone seems to think."  
"Of course you are not", Kageyama hummed and leaned a bit back. "You are a vice-captain, after all. You are particularly in charge of all of us, since Kuroo-san rarely visits us. I can't even imagine the burden you have, but I want you to remember that we are all in this together."  
"Wow, Kageyama, I never thought I would see a soft and philosophical side of you", Iwaizumi laughed shortly. "You are a good soldier, you know that?"  
"Thanks, I guess", Kageyama muttered, clearly a little embarrassed. "But shouldn't we head back to the dorm?"  
"Ya, we should. I think my mind has cleared at least a little bit", Iwaizumi agreed, and they both stood up. "Kageyama, if I die someday during a mission…"  
"You will not die", Kageyama interrupted. "It's meaningless to think about that."  
"This is war. You never know what will happen", Iwaizumi huffed. "If I die, I want you to take my place as a vice-captain. Of course Kuroo will be the one to choose it, but I'll suggest you to that position, if it's okay."  
Kageyama blinked twice and let out a long whistle. "Wow, that would be an honor. I'd gladly take that position, although I don't want you to go and die right after this conversation. Clear?"  
"That is a thing I can almost promise to you", Iwaizumi hummed and patted the soldier's shoulder. "Since I don't have Kiyoko's agreement of going to the battlefield and Tooru is still unconscious, I think I'll stay at the headquarters and be safe for a couple of days", he explained. "Since our team consists particularly of only me and Tooru, we can take a few days off now since we aren't in our top form anyway."  
"You really shouldn't use your vacation days for these kind of things. You should just take an injury leave", Kageyama sighed. "You need your vacation when you are healthy, too."  
"That's nothing for you to care about", Iwaizumi insisted. "I'm not the type to take vacation anyway. I want to do something meaningful."  
"You can't do anything if you overwork yourself", Kageyama noted. "But as you say. Shouldn't we go now?"  
"Ya. Just make sure to not wake everyone up with those heavy steps."  
" _You_ were the one who woke _me_ up."  
"Shut up."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Iwaizumi opened his eyes slightly when he felt someone poking his side. "What the…?" he murmured and blinked few times to clear his vision. "It's still dark."  
"Because the windows are sealed, stupid", Ennoshita laughed. "It's past noon already." Iwaizumi sat up and stared at Eagles' captain with tired and confused eyes.  
"Past noon? Shit. I overslept", he muttered, scratched his head and stood up. "What's the plan for today?"  
"The plan is that you stay here, first of all", Ennoshita hummed. "You won't be going anywhere risky with that leg anymore. Kiyoko is losing her mind over it."  
"So why did you wake me up, then?" Iwaizumi asked while stretching his arms. "Just to keep me from sleeping well?"  
"No, but I think there's something you would want to do", the dark-haired man guessed and grinned. "Oikawa woke up. You can go see him now."  
Iwaizumi just stared at the other soldier for a while. "Thank god", he then aspirated and put his hand on Ennoshita's shoulder. "You are forgiven. Thanks for waking me up." He didn't wait for a response when he walked past the soldier and headed to the operating room. "Yachi!" he called when he saw the short medic in front of the room. "Is Tooru really awake? For how long?"  
"Oh, Iwaizumi-san! I was actually waiting for you", Yachi greeted. "Oikawa woke up roughly an hour ago. I think he is now fine enough for you to visit. Kiyoko is in the room, so you should ask from her first, though."  
Iwaizumi gave her a rare, thankful smile and ruffled her blonde hair. "Thank you, Yachi. You are such a good girl", he thanked. The medic blushed from head to toes and quickly turned to look at the floor.  
"N-no… I mean yes! You are welcome!" she stuttered. Iwaizumi grinned and passed the blondie to open the operating room's door.  
"Kiyoko, can I come in?" he asked before opening the door completely.  
"Iwaizumi? Yes, you can." The heading medic's voice almost covered a little squeak-like sound that Iwaizumi would have guessed to belong to Oikawa. Kiyoko walked to Iwaizumi, touched his shoulder quickly and glazed at him with a strict face, then passing the soldier and leaving the room. Iwaizumi could have guessed what her expression meant; he should be careful with talking to Oikawa. The vice-captain stepped over the doorstep and let his gaze go over the room. He found Oikawa right away, laying in a proper bed, face turned to the opposite direction of Iwaizumi.  
"Tooru", Iwaizumi uttered a sound almost as quiet as a whisper. "How are you feeling?"  
"Fine", the taller brunet murmured. "I'm fine, Hajime, you don't need to worry."  
"And you don't need to put on that mask again", Iwaizumi sighed. "I won't move from here before you are ready to tell."  
"You seem to know already", Oikawa murmured, voice cracking in the end. "I'm useless like this, aren't I?" He turned to face Iwaizumi, and the vice-captain saw the exact thing he had been afraid of: Oikawa's right arm was missing. It was amputated completely.  
"I can't snipe like this", Oikawa grieved and turned to look away from Iwaizumi again. "I'm sorry, Hajime."  
Before he had time to keep worrying, Iwaizumi had walked to the bed and wrapped his arms around him, carefully avoiding the bandaged part. "Shut up already", he muttered and buried his face in Oikawa's neck. "You are alive and still a human, and that's all what matters right now." Oikawa was left speechless for a slight moment, and the next sound Iwaizumi heard was a quiet sob.  
"I promised to not leave without goodbyes, after all", Oikawa half cried, half laughed and wrapped his arm around Iwaizumi. "But you don't have to be so kind, Hajime. I'm a-"  
"Say 'burden' and I'll make you regret it", Iwaizumi muttered. "You aren't. You will find a way to fix this, we will do. This doesn't end anything." He felt tears dropping on his shoulder, and he didn't need to raise his head to know Oikawa was crying.  
"I was so naïve", the sniper cried. "I thought that… that you would…"  
"Leave you?" Iwaizumi guessed, rubbing smooth circles on Oikawa's back with his hand. "As if I'd do that. I could never do that. You are too important to me for that kind of action." He finally moved back a little to meet Oikawa's tearful eyes. "You are an idiot to even think about that."  
"Yea", Oikawa sniffed. "I might be. But Hajime, what am I supposed to do now? I don't have another arm. I can't be a soldier anymore."  
"If I may interrupt", Takeda's voice spooked them and they both turned to look at the medic at the doorstep. "There is a way. But it's pretty… expensive."  
"A prosthesis?" Iwaizumi guessed. "I don't think it would help enough."  
"A normal one wouldn't, but my familiar medic from Tokyo has developed an advanced prosthesis", Takeda told and walked to the bed, sitting down on the right side of Oikawa. "It works completely like a normal hand. But it's pretty difficult to fasten. This may hurt a bit." He touched the wounded part of Oikawa's shoulder and made the soldier flinch in sudden pain. Takeda kept observing the shoulder for a while and made sure to be careful enough to not hurt Oikawa too much.  
"I think he would be able to get that prosthesis", the medic finally said. "The shoulder is still fine. What do you say, Oikawa?"  
"Anything that helps is fine", the sniper murmured. "But you said it's an expensive prosthesis."  
"Yes, it really is. It's over 150 000 dollars, I think, even if I could get some discount."  
"One hundred…" Oikawa gasped. "That's too much. I don't have enough money. Although if I'd lend some from my parents…"  
"No, you won't", Iwaizumi interrupted. "Let's keep this as our problem. The soldiers', not your family."  
"Hajime, if you think they wouldn't lend the money-" Oikawa started, but Iwaizumi cut him off again with a stern gaze.  
"No, I don't think that, and that's exactly why. Think, Tooru. You have been gone for months, and when you finally contact them you tell that you have lost your arm and need money. Of course they would lend it, they wouldn't have other options. But it's just… wrong", Iwaizumi tried to explain, but he didn't find a proper way to say what he was thinking. "They love you so they would do anything for you, but you shouldn't look like you are just using them."  
"Oh", Oikawa muttered. "You are right. I shouldn't be too hooked up on them. But where do I get the money, then?"  
"How much do you have?" Iwaizumi asked and leaned on his hand, still keeping the eye-contact with the other soldier.  
"Not much", Oikawa uttered a dry laughter. "Something like five thousand dollars surplus."  
"I have some savings, but that's still not enough", Iwaizumi sighed. "You'd still need around 50 thousand."  
"Hold up, did I miss something or did you just offer to lend me nearly 100 000?" Oikawa asked and rose his brows. "You don't have to give me anything, Hajime, this is my problem. There's no way I could take that amount of money from you."  
"Tell me then, where would I use it?" Iwaizumi snorted. "I sold my apartment before coming here, and there's no use for that money."  
"So you aren't a bum after all. But 100 000 is still too much. I can't accept it."  
"Pay it back later if it bothers you, then", Iwaizumi hummed. "It's that easy."  
"But shouldn't you use that money for your own sake, or at least your family's or-" Oikawa quickly squeezed his mouth shut when he recognized his mistake, and he looked at Iwaizumi with spooked, rueful eyes. "Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to."  
"If you are referring to mentioning my family, there's no need to be sorry", Iwaizumi sighed and leaned back a bit. "My biological family may be gone, but the soldiers are my family now. So the joke's on you: I will use it for my family's sake when I give it to you. So stop insisting, you have way greater problems than debt right now."  
Oikawa furrowed and pouted a bit. "Fine then. But I will pay it back!"  
"As you wish. Takeda, can you contact that familiar of yours? The sooner Tooru gets the surgery and the prosthesis, the better", Iwaizumi stated to the medic. "Will he be fine till the fair?"  
"Oh, the fair", Takeda remembered. "I think he will. But to be realistic he probably won't be able to use the prosthesis properly then, even if the surgery goes well." He seemed to think for a moment. "But Oikawa can attend, I'm positive about that. And I already contacted the medic, and he had a free time for Saturday. Luckily we have the utensil needed here, so he will come here instead of that Oikawa would have to go to Tokyo. Travelling is dangerous these days, so I hope he will be alright, though."  
"So I will basically get my arm back in a few days?" Oikawa ensured and squirmed in place. "I will be able to snipe again?"  
"If everything goes well, yes", Takeda assured. "And if you can collect the money, that is. You can pay in three parts, but the first part must be paid before the surgery and the whole prize two weeks after it. You can think the prize as 150 000, I will pay the rest if my prediction goes wrong. I'm not poor either, but I can't lend more than that since I need money to keep this place working", he explained and turned to look at the wounded soldier. "Sorry, Oikawa."  
"No, it's fine, I couldn't ask more", the man quickly assured. "So we need 50 000 more and have two weeks time. I think that will be fine."  
"Good, I'll contact Mr. Collins right away. You should rest now, Oikawa", Takeda recommended. "And Iwaizumi, Ennoshita suggested that you would take the shopping round in Streets 10-20 since you can't attend to the fights yet and Akaashi needs a break. Is it okay?"  
"You have to be kidding me", Iwaizumi muttered quietly. "Fine. I guess there's no helping it, someone has to do that and Akaashi really needs some rest. Get well soon, dork, we need you to do the shopping for the elders", he huffed and lightly nudged Oikawa's side.  
"And I thought that you valued me", Oikawa murmured pretending to be offended. "But hey, Hajime, are you sure that this doesn't bother you?" he asked from the other soldier who had stood up and headed to the door.  
"I don't know if you are talking about the money, my family or the shopping, but no, it doesn't", Iwaizumi stated, glazing over his shoulder. "Tooru, I would have done the same to every soldier in here. That's what it means to be a vice-captain who doesn't have a life outside of the military."  
"If you say so." Oikawa sounded hesitant, but didn't say anything more. Iwaizumi waved goodbyes and stepped out of the room. He should do the shopping round now, before it gets dark. Since it was dangerous for the civilians to walk alone in the streets, the military had offered to do the shopping for them. Only middle-aged people were fine on their own, but especially elders and families with children had to stay in their houses to stay safe.  
"Ten streets, huh?" Iwaizumi murmured to himself while walking out of the headquarters. "That will take some time."

"Thank you again, dear", the old woman thanked and grabbed Iwaizumi's hand. "Will the god of fortune be with you."  
"Same goes for you", Iwaizumi hummed with a soft smile on his face. "Stay safe, okay?"  
"I will, I will." Iwaizumi waved goodbyes to her and closed the door behind him. Just one house left. He had collected the shopping lists from the families earlier, and now he was on a round to give the groceries to their rightful owners. He walked to the door of the red, ramshackle house and knocked the door. He had to wait a slight moment before the door was opened. The opener was the same girl that had given the shopping list to Iwaizumi earlier.  
"Oh, you came back already!" the girl aspirated. "I will take the groceries, thanks."  
"These are too heavy for you", Iwaizumi chuckled and gave a warm smile to the kid. "I will carry them."  
"But grandma is sick and said that I shouldn't let anyone in."  
"Elysia, it's okay, dear", the raspy, weak voice echoed from the house. "Please, come in."  
"If you say so, grandma", the girl called Elysia said and stepped aside to let Iwaizumi in.  
"Where I should put these?" Iwaizumi asked and raised the grocery bags.  
"Here, in the kitchen", Elysia guided him to the small room with a round table, a refrigerator and an oven. Iwaizumi looked around in a dusty room and frowned. This family clearly wasn't rich even before the Dolls appeared. Were the kid and grandmother the only ones living here?  
"I'll put them", Elysia said after Iwaizumi had put the bags down. "Thank you."  
"You are welcome", Iwaizumi hummed. "Are you sure you will be alright?"  
"Yea, I will." The girl looked at him with her brown eyes and smiled brightly. The smile reminded him of Sugawara.  
"You know, you really look like one of my friends", Iwaizumi said and ruffled her hair. "Stay safe, okay? And keep that smile, it's really beautiful."  
"Thank you!" Elysia giggled. "Who do I look like? Do you know my brother?"  
"You have a brother?" Iwaizumi repeated. "What's his name?"  
"Koshi", the girl told. "He smiles even more brightly than me!"  
"Oh, he really does", Iwaizumi laughed. "I know him very well. He's a good man." What a coincidence that he had ran across Sugawara's family. The sniper had never talked about them.  
"You know my grandson?" the same, weak voice echoed from the other room. "Can you come here?"  
"Of course, ma'am", Iwaizumi noted and walked to the room where the voice came from. He saw a pale, thin woman laying in the bed, and she rose her head when she heard Iwaizumi's footsteps.  
"No no no!" Elysia suddenly aspirated and ran in the front of Iwaizumi, spreading her arms to close his way. "Not here. Grandma is sick. No soldiers."  
"Elysia, I told you already, it's fine", the woman reassured. "Come sit here, Iwaizumi-kun."  
Iwaizumi passed the insisting girl and sat down on the chair next to the bed. "So you are Koshi's grandmother, right?" Iwaizumi ensured. "You really look like him, if I may say. It's an honor to meet you."  
"It's nice to meet you too", the woman chuckled. "Please, call me Arya. If I remember right, you are the leader in the army?"  
"The vice-captain, actually", Iwaizumi corrected. "But most of the orders come from me. Why so?"  
"I was just wondering why you are here instead of fighting – or whatever you usually do", Arya explained. "I must thank my luck that I got a chance to talk to you."  
"I could call it sickness leave", Iwaizumi sneered and patted his knee. "Dolls."  
"Oh, I see", the woman nodded. "Is Koshi alright?"  
"Yes, he is completely alright", Iwaizumi assured. "Hasn't he visited you lately?"  
"I don't even remember when he was here last", Arya sighed and coughed a few times. "That's what I wanted to talk about. Please tell him that he shouldn't be ashamed of that. I think I understand why he can't come here. But to be honest, I don't have much time left, and Elysia will be left alone after I'm gone. I wonder if he could contact some familiar of his and ask if they could take care of her?"  
"Oh." Iwaizumi was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that. Of course I will ask him. I think he will visit you himself, so you can talk about Elysia's future then. If nothing else, the headquarters of the military are a safe place. At least safer than an abandoned house."  
"Thank you so much", Arya exhaled. "Koshi is a good boy, he has always been. But I think he doesn't know that his parents are gone", she continued with a lower voice. "It has been already over a year, but please be careful with telling him."  
"I see. I will be careful. Thank you for telling me", Iwaizumi thanked and stood up. "If you don't mind, I should keep going now. Moving alone is too dangerous after it gets dark."  
"I understand. Thank you again. Stay safe."  
"So you won't do anything to grandma?" Elysia asked with a bright voice and made Iwaizumi turn his attention to the kid. "You won't take her away from here?"  
"No, why would I?" the soldier asked confusedly.  
"Elysia is afraid that I am turning into a Doll", Arya explained and sighed. "I have told her that I'm just sick, but she doesn't believe me and tries to keep all the soldiers away."  
Iwaizumi blinked and turned his gaze from Arya back to Elysia. "So that's why you wanted to keep me away from her, right? That's an honorable reason, but you shouldn't worry. She is just sick, she would look different if she was turning into a Doll." Iwaizumi crouched down and patted Elysia's head. "There's no way I or any other soldier could hurt her."  
"What would she look like?" Elysia asked. "I need to know so I can tell if something happens."  
"Firstly, if you both just stay here and don't make contact with the Dolls, there's no way she could turn into a Doll", Iwaizumi stated. "And secondly, the changing lasts only around twenty minutes. But if you want to know, the clearest thing are the eyes: the Doll's pupils are cat-like and really thin", he continued. "But as I said, your grandma isn't in danger as long as you stay here."  
"You promise?" the girl muttered.  
"I promise. You don't need to be scared."  
"You heard him, Elysia, I'm fine", Arya assured to her granddaughter and rose her head to look at Iwaizumi. "You should really go now, right?"  
"Yes, I should", Iwaizumi agreed. "Hopefully we will meet again sometime."  
"Hopefully." They waved goodbyes and finally Iwaizumi could get out of the house and close the door behind him. His chest felt tight. It wasn't fair that a little girl like Elysia had to be scared of her daily life like that. Iwaizumi hoped that she believed him and could relax now.  
He took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking a deep breath of it. Now he just needed to find a way to tell Sugawara about this.


	6. Chapter 6

"Sugawara", Iwaizumi called out the sniper who was just talking with Daichi. "I need to talk to you. Do you have time?" The gray-haired man turned around and gazed Daichi with confused eyes, but the other Crow just shrugged.  
"Sure, what is it?" Sugawara asked and tilted his head a bit. "Have I done something?"  
"No, you haven't", Iwaizumi assured quickly. "I just happened to run across your relatives yesterday", he explained. "I thought you didn't have relatives here?"  
"Oh", Sugawara muttered and scratched his head awkwardly. "My family lives here, but I… do not keep in touch with them."  
"You should", Iwaizumi noted. "They miss you. But your grandmother said that she understands you, so you don't need to feel ashamed. She had a message for you, actually. It is about your sister."  
"Elysia?" Sugawara repeated. "Is she alright?"  
"Yes, she is completely alright", Iwaizumi calmed the other soldier. "But your grandmother isn't. Sugawara, do you… know where your parents are?"  
Sugawara tensed instantly and just stared Iwaizumi for a moment, seeming to be somehow spooked. "I do", he finally said. "They are dead."  
"So you knew already. Your grandmother wasn't sure if you knew or not. Anyhow, she and Elysia are living by themselves, but your grandmother is sick. She said she doesn't have much time left. Elysia will be left alone", Iwaizumi explained, keeping his voice calm and careful. "She needs someone to take care of her. I think you should go to talk with Arya about this."  
"I can't", Sugawara's quick response surprised Iwaizumi completely. "I can't go."  
"Why?" the vice-captain asked. Sugawara was clearly uncomfortable, and he looked at Daichi, searching for help, but his captain was just as confused as Iwaizumi was.  
"I… can't face them", Sugawara muttered. "Can't you go? I'm sure that Elysia could live here if it's okay with you, so there's no need for me to go."  
"Of course she can live here, but that's not the point", Iwaizumi started to get pissed. "The point is that you should visit your grandmother before she dies. And go say hi to your little sister. What's the problem? Why can't you face them?"  
"Because…" Sugawara fell quiet and gritted his teeth. "Can we talk about this outside? Without anyone else?"  
"Sure, if that's what you want", Iwaizumi nodded, the anger changing into concern. This really wasn't typical for Sugawara. What he tried to hide?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sugawara was laying on the grass, the long scarf tied tight around his neck and chin. It was dark and cold already, and even Iwaizumi had taken a jacket when they had left outside. The vice-captain stayed quiet, although they had just sat there for over ten minutes already. Just like Bokuto, Sugawara needed some time to get his thoughts in order. There was no use talking if the sniper wasn't ready for that. After Iwaizumi's cigarette had almost burned to the end, Sugawara sighed deeply.  
"Do you think Elysia can live here?" he asked quietly. "I don't know if our closest relatives are alive or not, so I don't have other opinion but to bring her here."  
"I think it's alright", Iwaizumi assured, not forcing the soldier to talk about facing his family yet. "She can stay with the medics when you are elsewhere. Kiyoko will take care of her."  
"Yea", Sugawara muttered. "I hope she will get used to living in the middle of soldiers. I mean, she has always been a type to hate meaningless killing and hurting. I don't think she completely understands this situation or why we need to kill the Dolls. It has been nearly two years already since I last saw her, but I can guess that she hasn't changed a bit." Iwaizumi nodded. Sugawara really knew his sister well. On the other hand Iwaizumi started to really understand the girl's behavior back then. She wanted to protect her loved ones, no matter what they were.  
"That's one reason I can't go back there", Sugawara said and was quiet for a slight moment. "I killed them. I killed our parents. They were in the pack of Dolls that attacked our team a year ago." Iwaizumi gazed the soldier in surprise, and he saw that Sugawara's eyes were glistening. "I can't look my grandmother in the eyes when I know I killed her son. Or look at Elysia when I know she lost her parents because I shot them. She wouldn't understand that." He took a shaky breath and continued: "That's why I haven't visited them. I miss them, but I feel too guilty of killing my parents. I know that they were Dolls, I know that they would be dead anyway, but I just can't help but feel awful." Iwaizumi had crossed his arms and leaned them on his knees, trying to find something to say.  
"Sugawara", he finally sighed and turned to look at the soldier. "I think your grandmother knew. She knew that you felt guilty about something, and only Lord knows if she suspected this. But she didn't say a word against you. She just misses you."  
"Grandma has always been like that", Sugawara muttered. "She doesn't judge anyone. But I don't think Elysia would take it well."  
"She doesn't need to know yet", Iwaizumi recommended. "You can tell when she is ready for that."  
"I guess you are right", the sniper sighed and sat up. "After all, I want to see grandma and she has the right to know the truth before she is gone. I'll deal with Elysia later."  
"That's the right way to talk", Iwaizumi hummed. "Do you want me to come with you? I could keep Elysia busy when you talk to your grandmother."  
"That would be a huge help, thanks", Sugawara thanked. "I think I'll go tomorrow morning. The sooner the better, right?"  
"Yep, the sooner the better." Despite the brave-sounding words Iwaizumi saw right away that the other soldier was nervous. The vice-captain couldn't even think how he must have felt this whole time, carrying the burden of his parents' death on his shoulders. Iwaizumi sighed quietly and stood up and gave an encouraging pat on Sugawara's back.  
"It will be okay, I promise."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Big bro! You came back!" Elysia's bright voice made a familiar smile appear on Sugawara's face, and he caught his sister in his embrace.  
"Hi, Elysia", the grey-haired man greeted with a soft voice. "You've grown a lot. How have you been?"  
"I'm completely fine", the girl laughed. "Grandma! Big bro came back!"  
Iwaizumi followed the siblings in the old house, staying quiet and observing Sugawara carefully. He was forcing that smile, Iwaizumi was sure of it, although there wasn't a single doubt that the sniper was unbelievably happy to see his sister again.  
"Koshi", a shaking, hoarse voice called and when Iwaizumi looked up from Elysia, he saw Arya at the doorstep. The woman was leaning on the wall and looked so relieved to see his grandson that it made Iwaizumi's chest feel tight.  
"Grandma!" Sugawara exhaled and hurried to her. "You should be resting." He supported his grandmother with his arm and helped her back to the bed. "How are you feeling?" the sniper asked. "You really shouldn't strain yourself. Do you feel dizzy? Should I get something to drink for you?"  
"It's okay, it's okay", the woman assured and uttered a tired laughter. "I'm just glad you are here. Let me see, you haven't changed a bit in these two years", she murmured and caressed her grandson's cheek with her slightly shaking hands.  
"I wish I could say the same, grandma", Sugawara hummed sadly. "You're so pale. I'm sorry that I haven't visited earlier."  
"Elysia, how about you come outside with me for a while?" Iwaizumi asked from the girl. "I think these two have a lot to talk about. Don't worry, Koshi will talk to you, too, but right now we should let them be."  
"If you say so", Elysia nodded and followed the soldier to the front door. "Iwaizumi-san, why do soldiers kill Dolls?" she asked when they got outside and sat down on the stairs. "It's an illness, isn't it? Shouldn't you search for a medicine instead of fighting?"  
"Our medics are doing that, dear", Iwaizumi sighed. "It's just too complicated thing to achieve. We have antibiotics that help if there's not more than ten minutes from a bite, but that's all we've got right now. And ten minutes is horribly short time."  
"How do you know that you are late, then?" Elysia continued asking. "Wasn't it over fifteen minutes before a human would completely turn into a Doll?"  
"You know rather much about this all", Iwaizumi noted and gazed the girl. "Sometimes we see it right away, sometimes it takes longer time to know. If the one who's gotten bitten has fell unconscious, we usually need to wait until they wake up before we know for sure", he fell quiet for a moment. "My teammate got bitten some time ago. The antibiotic was given to him roughly twelve minutes after the bite, but he passed out. We weren't sure if he'd stay as a human or even wake up."  
"That's horrible!" Elysia yelped. "What happened? Is he okay?"  
"He was unconscious for three days, but luckily didn't turn into a Doll", Iwaizumi told. "His right arm had to be amputated, but he is recovering surprisingly fast and will get a prosthesis soon." Iwaizumi leaned on his hand and sighed deeply. "So he will be okay, thank god."  
"Why do you keep fighting if it's that dangerous?" the little girl asked, staring eyes wide open at Iwaizumi. "Is big bro also in danger?"  
"We all are in danger in this city, Elysia", Iwaizumi reminded. "But it will be okay as long as we stay careful. My friend just had a lot of misfortune with him. Koshi will stay safe, he's a sniper so he doesn't get in touch with the Dolls very often."  
"What about you, then?" Elysia worried. "You aren't a sniper, are you?"  
"No, I'm not, you are right with that", Iwaizumi noted. "I will be fine. Elysia, the soldiers are trained for this. The ones that are in danger are people like you, the civilians." He didn't want to scare the girl, but sugar-coating the situation wouldn't help a slightest bit. "So just be a brave girl and believe in us, okay? You must stay in your home or wherever it's safe." The girl nodded quickly and suddenly grabbed her arms around Iwaizumi's waist.  
"You are so brave", she murmured. "Please stay safe. And watch out for big bro."  
"I will do that, don't worry", Iwaizumi chuckled and petted the girl's head. "I won't let anything happen to him."  
"Elysia, can you come here?" Sugawara's voice echoed from the inside of the house, and his little sister jumped on her feet and hurried back to the shady house. Iwaizumi stood up and followed her to the bedroom, sitting down next to the door.  
"Wha~t?" Elysia aspirated. "I don't wanna!"  
"Elysia, dear, listen to me", Arya sighed and grabbed the girl's hand softly. "There's no helping it. You will be alone otherwise. Koshi will take loving care of you."  
"Of course he will, but I don't want to leave you!" Elysia insisted. "You will not die!"  
"I wish that was the case", Arya muttered and coughed, voice rasping and weak. "You can be here a few days, but when I'm gone, you have to go with Koshi."  
"It's not fair!" the girl protested. "It's not fair that you have to die, too! You said you would take care of me after Mom and Dad couldn't!" Iwaizumi saw how Sugawara visibly tensed in his seat. The vice-captain coughed to turn their attention to him, and he leaned back in his seat when three pairs of eyes turned to look at him.  
"I think Sugawara – Koshi – could stay here as long as necessary", he said and made the sniper raise his brows. "It will be easier for Elysia, then. And I guess you have a lot to talk about, right?"  
"But Iwaizumi, what about the plans for today and tomorrow?" Sugawara asked, looking confused. "The attacks won't work without a sniper!"  
"I'll call Shirabu, team 4 has only patrolling today", Iwaizumi told. "And Akaashi is free tomorrow. It will be okay, Sugawara, this is way more important."  
The grey-haired man seemed to be still unsure. "Well, of course this is, but Daichi-"  
"Daichi will understand", Iwaizumi interrupted him. "It's an order, Sugawara. Stay with your family when you still have the chance." Sugawara flinched a bit and the hidden bitterness in the vice-captain's voice and eyes made him turn his look away.  
"Right", he muttered. "Sorry. I will stay here as long as needed. But Iwaizumi, please stay safe. All of you."  
"Sure, that's what we have been always doing", Iwaizumi hummed sarcastically and stood up from the chair. "It's really okay, Suga, you don't need to worry. As long as you are back before the fair starts, it will be fine."  
"Did you just give me practically three weeks off?" Sugawara snorted and straightened his back. "I'll be military's slave for the next year if I keep that much vacation at once."  
"If someone asks, I'll say it's sickness leave", Iwaizumi assured. "You don't need to worry about that. This won't affect your working hours in any way."  
"You made it sound like we are some kind of office workers", Sugawara laughed. "Thanks. I owe you."  
"Naturally", Iwaizumi hummed and bowed his head a bit. "Thank you for having me, Arya, I think this will be the last time we meet."  
"I think so", the woman groaned. "Thank you for keeping my grandson safe. You are a blessing for all of us, Iwaizumi-san."  
"Just 'Iwaizumi' is fine", the vice-captain guaranteed. "Thank you. I wish that was the case. Suga, I will call you if anything happens, so just concentrate on these two for now. Elysia, stay with your brother and keep yourself safe, okay?"  
"Yep, I promise!" Elysia said and waved with his small hand. "Bye!" Iwaizumi waved goodbyes to the three and exited the house. When he got outside, he let out a deep, relieved sigh. Luckily Sugawara had agreed with him and not kept insisting. He took the radiophone from his shoulder and pressed the purple button, which connected him to the Eagles' radiophones.  
"Iwaizumi calls Shirabu. Are you listening?"  
"Shirabu here. Is everything okay?"  
"Yes, but I need you to do me a favor", Iwaizumi started to explain while walking down the street. "Sugawara is hindered for a while, so could you come to today's mission as Crows' sniper?"  
"Sure, I think these two will be fine without me", the sniper chuckled, clearly referring to his teammates. "Should I come to the headquarters right away?"  
"If you could, yes", Iwaizumi nodded. "I'm on the way myself, so there's no need to rush, though. Clear."  
"Clear." 


	7. Chapter 7

"I think it's fine now", Takeda murmured and bended Iwaizumi's knee once more. "This doesn't hurt, right?"

"No, it doesn't", Iwaizumi confirmed. "Neither when I bend my ankle. It hasn't ached or bothered me in any ways in few days."

"That's good to hear. I don't see any reason why you couldn't go back to normal routines, then. Just stay careful and tell if it starts aching again", Takeda warned. "If you don't let the wound heal completely now, it can inflame."

"I know and will be careful", the vice-captain promised. "I have been careless, but I will not do anything reckless anymore."

"I sincerely hope so", Takeda huffed. "It's a miracle that the wound has healed when you have been running around like nothing had happened." The medic patted the soldier's knee. "You are really something else."

"I'm just lucky", Iwaizumi snarled and lowered his leg from the chair. "By the way, Tooru's surgery is today, right? Shouldn't the doctor be here already?"

"He should arrive soon", Takeda told after gazing his watch. "Oikawa was pretty nervous when I visited him earlier."

Iwaizumi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Should I go talk to him?"

"If you have time, that would be good", Takeda nodded. "Just don't say anything that would make him even more uncomfortable."

"I won't, don't worry", Iwaizumi promised and stood up. "I have to talk to him about that prosthesis. Is that okay?"

"I think it is", Takeda assumed and nodded shortly. "About the price?"

"Yep", the brunet sighed. "We still don't have all of it collected."

"You have two weeks time, it will be alright", the medic comforted and led Iwaizumi to the operation room. "Oikawa, are you awake? Iwaizumi is here", he called after knocking the door twice.

"Yea, I am", the sniper answered, and Iwaizumi stepped to the room.

"Hi", he greeted the other brunet. "How are you feeling?"

"How I should be feeling?" Oikawa laughed nervously. "I'm getting my arm back today, after all. If everything goes well, that is."

"Everything will go well", Iwaizumi assured and sat on the edge of the bed. "You will be back on track before you even know it."

"I hope so", Oikawa hummed. "Did you have something to say, or did you just miss my presence?"

"Actually I have", Iwaizumi said, ignoring the other soldier's teasing. "It's about the prosthesis. We have collected about ten thousand dollars now, so I think we will be fine. We have two weeks time, after all. It's enough to get the remaining 40 000 from somewhere." Iwaizumi basically repeated Takeda's words, since he didn't want to make Oikawa even more nervous with his own doubts.

"I'm glad to hear that", Oikawa let out a relieved sigh. "I wouldn't like if they'd had to take the prosthesis back after fastening it to my body."

"That would be difficult", Iwaizumi laughed shortly. "Don't worry, they won't need to do that."  
"I hope so", Oikawa hummed. "I wouldn't be able to make it to the fair if they did. Take-chan said that I can most probably use my arm without problems when the fair starts, but he isn't completely sure of that. I wish I had your recovering speed. I would be okay before I could say 'prosthesis'." He laughed brightly. "But to be honest, my shoulder hurts damn much right now. I just wish it isn't like that after the prosthesis is fastened. I can't even take painkillers, Kiyoko said that I shouldn't take them at all before the surgery."  
"Just stay strong", Iwaizumi encouraged and leaned on his hand. "It will get better when the surgery is over. You better make it to the fair, you know? I told even Sugawara to come back till then. We need every single soldier there."  
"I know that", Oikawa sighed. "Have you heard anything about Sugawara?"  
"Nope", Iwaizumi sounded. "It has been only three days, so I think it will take a few more. At least I hope so. After all, his return would mean that his grandmother is dead."  
"Yea. Kuroo hasn't contacted you yet? I thought he would have something to say about this", Oikawa stated with raised brows. "He isn't as soft as you with these things."  
"I'm not soft", the vice-captain defended himself and deepened his frown. "And no, he hasn't. I think the information hasn't reached him yet."  
"Luckily", Oikawa noted with a huff. "Kuroo is scary. He keeps ordering people around, but doesn't do anything himself, yet everyone follows him blindly. He even looks scary with that scar."  
"You are partly wrong with that. Kuroo does his part just like everyone else", Iwaizumi instantly defended his leader. "It's true that he doesn't fight as much as we do, but he has important information that can't be leaked. I think that's why he isn't here so often. He is careless with his words, after all. He could easily say something he shouldn't. He and Kenma are in charge of this group for a reason."  
"Information? Do you have some of it?" Oikawa asked, eyes shining childishly.  
"Yea, I do, but as I said, no one should say a word about those things", the shorter brunet snarled. "Don't overstep your bounds."  
"You are making me curious", Oikawa complained and pouted. "But okay, I won't ask anymore. But isn't Kenma supposed to be in charge of handling information?"  
"Both of them are", Iwaizumi told. "Enough questions, Tooru. I really can't speak of them."  
"Shame", Oikawa sighed and leaned back. Before he could open his mouth again, they heard knocking from the door.  
"Oikawa and Iwaizumi? Doctor Collins is here", Takeda's voice called.  
"Let him in", Iwaizumi requested, since Oikawa had suddenly fell quiet. The sniper's nervousness was clearly back. An official-looking man came in the room and bowed a bit to greet them. Iwaizumi stood up from the bedside and did the same greeting. Oikawa just nodded, since bowing was quite difficult when he was sitting.  
"Evening", Collins greeted. "I suppose you are Iwaizumi? And you are Oikawa?" After the two had nodded in agreement, the man continued: "My name is William Collins, you can just call me Will. It's nice to meet you."  
"The pleasure is ours", Iwaizumi assured and shook hands with the doctor. "Looks like your trip here went well?"  
"Yes, there wasn't a single problem", Collins told and turned his eyes to Oikawa. "How are you feeling? Nervous, I guess?"  
"Yea", Oikawa uttered a short laughter. "I can't help it. Thank you for coming here."  
"It's nothing, I'm just doing my job. And it's okay to feel nervous, as long as you don't try to run away." Collins gave the sniper a teasing grin and patted his healthy shoulder. "We should start as soon as possible, don't you think? I have heard that you aren't really a patient person."  
"Hajime, have you talked shit behind my back again?" Oikawa snarled only half serious. "I'm the definition of patience!"  
"Wasn't me", Iwaizumi defended and raised his hands. "Must have been Takeda. And you know that he doesn't lie."  
"Well, that wasn't the important thing", Collins chuckled when Oikawa pouted and would have probably crossed his arms if he had had both of them. "I don't assume you to not to be nervous, since this surgery is a big deal for you."  
"I apologize for interrupting", Yachi's voice made them turn their attention to the door, where the blonde medic was standing. "Iwaizumi, you should come here. Kuroo-san came to visit."  
"Oh", Iwaizumi instantly stood up. "I'll come right away. Good luck, Tooru, and see you soon." He waved goodbyes to the other brunet who had straightened his back when Kuroo's name was mentioned.  
"Yea, see you. Don't let Kuroo kill you yet", he huffed. "I'll miss his visit. You better tell me everything later."

"Sure", Iwaizumi hummed and walked out of the room after saying goodbyes to Dr. Collins.  
The raven-haired, tall man was leaning on the wall, arms crossed and sharp eyes observing the room. When he turned his gaze to Iwaizumi, the familiar grin appeared on his face.  
"Ah, Iwaizumi, my favorite vice-captain", he chuckled and tilted his head a bit. "It's been a long time."  
"I'm your only vice-captain", Iwaizumi reminded. "And it really has. Where have you been and what brings you here? You don't usually show up when the other soldiers are here."  
"In the office as always", Kuroo sighed. "I came to check Oikawa and his doctor, but it looks like they have already started preparing the surgery, so I'll talk to them later. I actually could ask someone to inform me when they are ready, Sugawara maybe?" The leader took a sharp breath like he had just remembered something. "Oh right. Sugawara isn't here." He turned his eyes back to Iwaizumi, and the vice-captain suddenly felt cold. "You gave him reasonless vacation. For three weeks, am I right?"  
"If he needs those three weeks, then yes", Iwaizumi answered, keeping his face emotionless. "It's not reasonless vacation. He will come back as soon as he can."  
"Oh Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi", Kuroo chuckled with the most sarcastic and toxic voice Iwaizumi had ever heard. "What makes you think that you can suddenly decide what is reasonless and what meaningful? Have you started to think that you are an almighty leader instead of a vice-captain?"  
"No, I haven't." Their conversation had made the other soldiers' attention to turn to them, but Iwaizumi didn't mind that. "I will take full responsibility of this, but I will not force Sugawara to come back any earlier. Neither should you."  
"So now you are ordering me", Kuroo sighed overdramatically. "What did I do to deserve such a greedy vice-captain?" He squinted his eyes and lowered his voice before continuing: "There are reasons why the soldiers aren't allowed to take any more vacation than necessary and why anyone isn't allowed to leave. You should know that, Iwaizumi. Or wouldn't you have left already if you were allowed to?"  
"I wouldn't have, you can trust me with that", Iwaizumi answered truthfully. "I understand what you mean, but Sugawara's family needs him right now. You can take those vacation days away from me if you want to."  
"Iwaizumi, you really shouldn't-" Kuroo silenced Daichi's insisting with a hand sign. The leader grinned and laughed shortly.  
"I almost forgot who I am talking with", he chuckled. "You are really soft, Iwaizumi. Must come from your father."  
"My father isn't related to this in any kind of way", Iwaizumi snapped, trying his best to keep his voice low and respectful.  
"Your father was a fine soldier. Sadly he was too soft, just like you. That killed your family, didn't it, Iwaizumi? Shouldn't you learn something from it?"  
"I won't even ask where you got that information from", Iwaizumi gnarled from between his teeth. Was Kuroo trying to piss him off intentionally? "It wasn't the matter of if my father was 'soft' or not."  
"He could have killed those dolls", Kuroo sneered. "But he didn't do that, and that's why they are all dead now."  
"Kuroo, that's enough!" Daichi aspirated. "This doesn't have anything to do with Sugawara!"  
"It does", Kuroo corrected. "You should understand what I am meaning, Iwaizumi. Sugawara shouldn't spend time with civilians. Not even with his family. It's way more difficult to kill them if you care for them too much."  
"Firstly, his grandmother is already dying and we will keep his sister safe here, so they won't become Dolls", Iwaizumi started to feel really pissed. "Secondly, he had already killed his parents. He isn't as weak as you seem to think."  
Kuroo's brows rose and he was clearly surprised. "I see. But rules are rules. I will let this go this time, but as you suggested, I will take those three weeks from your vacations and sickness leaves. You weren't the type to stay still anyway, right?" He leaned a bit closer to his vice-captain. "You have admirable self-control, Iwaizumi. I thought you would have punched me already."  
"If I'd hit you every time you piss me off, you would be hospitalized all the time", Iwaizumi snapped. "Are we clear now? Or do you still have something to say?"  
"Not really. I think I'll talk to Dr. Collins tomorrow, right now I don't feel very welcomed here", Kuroo sighed and walked past the vice-captain. "Remember your place, Iwaizumi. And learn from your father's mistakes."  
The last nerve snapped in Iwaizumi's mind, and the vice-captain snatched his knife from his waist, spun around and threw it towards Kuroo. The knife scratched the leader's ear and hit the wall, getting stuck in the soft wood. Kuroo touched his ear lightly and gazed Iwaizumi.  
"You better not say anything about my father anymore", Iwaizumi snarled. "You have lost my respect long ago, remember that. I'm only following you because of the information you have."  
"I know that well", Kuroo hummed, not seeming to be surprised at all. "You have been here way longer than me, after all. You're amusing. Please don't overstep your bounds any more."  
"That's something you'd like, though", Iwaizumi hissed. "Just leave already."  
"Again with the orders?" Kuroo sighed, but didn't say anything else before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. Iwaizumi marched to the wall with angry, heavy steps and pulled the knife off the wall, putting it back on his waist.  
"That fucking shithead", he swore and turned around, facing Daichi's concerned eyes.  
"Are you okay?" the soldier asked. "Kuroo went too far with that. But I don't think throwing the knife was a vice choice, he can fire you from here."  
"He won't do that", Iwaizumi snorted and walked past the Crows' captain. "He's a shithead. A fucking shithead who enjoys when others get pissed."  
"Suga really owes you now", Daichi sighed. "Three weeks? When even was your last day off?"  
"Don't remember and don't care", the vice-captain huffed and hit the door frame with his fist. "That fucker. Where the hell did he even get that information?" his voice lowered and his frown deepened. "Fucking shithead."  
"Breathe, Iwaizumi, you are too riled up", Daichi recommended and put his hand on the vice-captain's shoulder. "Go take a break. I will take care of the patrols."  
"Fine, thanks", Iwaizumi leaned his head back and took a deep breath to clear his thoughts. "Please forget this incident. Kuroo is normally a nice guy, I just happened to go against his orders."  
"Yea, I know", Daichi chuckled. "You shouldn't apologize for that. Maybe you really are soft."  
"I would have punched you if you'd have said that three seconds ago, you know?" Iwaizumi huffed and collapsed on the only, worn out coach they had. "Fuck, my head's hurting like hell."  
"As always when you have been tense for a long time", Daichi noted. "Get some rest."  
"Yup, thank you again." Iwaizumi covered his eyes with his arm and closed them to block the light of the room. "Just wake me up if I fall asleep."  
"Sure." Iwaizumi breathed deeply and relaxed the tenseness of his muscles, letting himself forget the world around him for a moment. He slightly regretted getting too riled up and snapping for Kuroo. They weren't enemies, nothing like that, but Iwaizumi felt oddly satisfied when he thought of the scratch he had made in Kuroo's ear.


	8. Chapter 8

The cold wind made Iwaizumi shiver, and he felt his mother wrap her arm around him. The boy raised his look and met the warm, hazel eyes that have always comforted him.

"We'll go home soon", she assured and smiled heartwarmingly. "I know it's cold, but you have to be a brave boy now and stay with your sisters. I will be back soon, okay?"

"Yes, mom", the boy muttered. He was already 13, a little cold shouldn't bother him. His sisters were sleeping, leaning on each other's shoulders. Their mother stood up, ruffled Iwaizumi's hair and left the room. They were in an abandoned house waiting for Iwaizumi's father. He was a soldier that wasn't allowed to meet with his family, so they met in secret once in a while.

"It's October, why is it so cold?" Iwaizumi murmured. His sisters looked calm, but the shorter one's, Amy's lips were turning purple. Iwaizumi sighed, took his jacket off and wrapped it around them. He felt bad for them, the twins were only seven years old. They should have been in school right now, but they took a day off because of this. Iwaizumi was scared that someone would find out about their meetings with their father. It has been a year since his father went back to military's headquarters. He had told that they had tracked a new disease spreading among people, and that made walking in the streets alone dangerous. The illness was a weird one, it made people turn evil somehow. Iwaizumi's father hadn't spoken much about it.

"Hey, wake up", Iwaizumi muttered and gently shook Amy's shoulder. She shouldn't be sleeping if she was cold.

"Big bro...?" the girl mumbled and yawned. "Is dad here yet?"

"No, mom went to get him. Would you wake Lily?"

"Lilyyy", Amy called and shook her sister's shoulder. "Dad is here soon. You shouldn't sleep."

"But I'm freezing!" Lily complained and stole Iwaizumi's jacket from her twin. "Is this your jacket, Hajime?"

"It is, but you can have it for now", Iwaizumi said. "You need it more than me." He was freezing, but was slowly getting used to the cold.

"Hajime!" The boy flinched when he heard his mother's voice from the door. "Get up! Quickly! Amy and Lily too!"

"Is something wrong?" Iwaizumi asked and stood up, getting closer to his sisters. "Where is dad?"

"They are after us", his mother aspirated. "Come! We have to get out right now!"

"Who?" Iwaizumi felt shivers go down his spine and ran to his mother after his sisters. "The military?"

"Dolls", his mother sounded hysteric. "Your father is trying to slow them down. We must get back to our house, we aren't safe here."

"Dolls? Those evil people?" Iwaizumi asked. His mother took the twins in her embrace and run outside without answering. Iwaizumi ran after him and saw his father roughly ten meters from them. He was running, and quickly reached them.

"Hide", he panted. "They are quicker than us. They'll will be here soon."

"You have a gun, don't you?" his wife noted and gave Lily to him and kept running alongside with him. "Why don't you shoot them? You have a right to do that! We'll die otherwise!"

"I can't", the man let out a hysteric sob. "I can't, Olivia, they are my friends! We will find a medicine and heal them, now we just have to get out of here!"

"You are right. Hajime, don't slow down", Iwaizumi's mother aspirated and gazed her son. "To that old house! We are almost there!"

They reached the house and locked the door behind them. Iwaizumi's mother put Amy down and sat down, letting out a shaky sigh. Amy and Lily sat on her lap and hugged each other to search comfort.

"Mama, I'm scared", Amy sobbed and squeezed her eyes shut. "Why are we here? Will they hurt us?"

"We'll be fine, dear", Olivia whispered and petted her head. "I promise."

"Stay quiet", Iwaizumi's father hissed, nerves on the edge. Iwaizumi sat down next to his mother, unable to find anything to say. They stayed still, not making even the slightest noise, and Iwaizumi realized he wasn't even breathing. Then the boy slowly turned his head to look out of the window, and he had to slap his hand on his mouth to stop himself from screaming. On the other side of the window were two men, and the other one was staring right at Iwaizumi. The boy felt his blood freeze when he looked in those dark cat-like eyes that felt like they could have killed him right in that place. The soldier's skin was cracking and looked dryer than a desert, and when he grinned, Iwaizumi saw that his canine teeth were unnaturally long and sharp.  
"Get down!" Iwaizumi's father shouted and before Iwaizumi could even blink, the soldier had jumped through the window glass to right in front of him. Iwaizumi yelled in horror and pain when the Doll reached its hand towards him and dug its sharp claws in his leg. His father kicked the Doll's head and snatched his son in his embrace, showing his wife and daughters further from the Doll.  
"Run!" he yelled. "Find a place to hide or go to the headquarters!" Iwaizumi squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around his father's neck. His leg was bleeding and hurting, and the shock had made his mind go blank. He barely even recognized when his father started to run with him, and he tightened his hold like he was afraid of falling otherwise. He heard how his father called his mother's name, then calling Lily and Amy, but he didn't hear any kind of answer.  
"I think this is safe enough." His father put Iwaizumi down, letting him sit down. "Now stay still." The man ripped a part of his shirt apart and tied Iwaizumi's bleeding leg with it. "You will be fine. Luckily they didn't bite you. Hajime, listen carefully. You will go to the headquarters, carefully avoiding open places and people. My teammates will help you, just tell that you are Matt's son. I will go get your mother and sisters. Okay?"  
"Will you be okay?" Iwaizumi asked, staring his father with wide, shocked eyes. "Is the Doll out there?"  
"I think we lost it", his father sighed in relief. "Just be careful. We will come to the headquarters too, we'll be there right after you." He was quiet for a slight moment and gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I should have done something when I had a chance. I was so naïve." His father kissed Iwaizumi's forehead and ruffled his short hair. "Stay safe. See you soon." After Iwaizumi had nodded, the man left the room he had carried Iwaizumi in. The boy watched his father go, feeling a sickening feeling in his stomach. He stood up and winced of the pain in his leg. He couldn't leave them like this. He had to know where his sisters and mother were. Limping as quickly as he could Iwaizumi followed his father. He wasn't sure where he went, though, but that wasn't important in his mind. He stayed close to the building, stopping once in a while to lean on the wall to keep a break. Walking with hurting leg was painful and slow, and Iwaizumi had to collect all his courage to keep going. He flinched when he heard a gunshot nearby. Iwaizumi could only hope that it was his father when he followed the sound as well as he could.  
His knees suddenly felt weak and he had to lean on the wall when he saw the sight opening in front of him. The snowflakes falling from the sky, the first snow of the year, were turned into red, sticky slush when they met the ground. Lily and Amy were laying in the middle of blood, and a few meters from them were his mother and father's lifeless corpses. Next to them was a bloody figure, gnawing his father's arm like it hadn't eaten anything for weeks. Iwaizumi's scream dried halfway in his throat when he met the glazed stare of his mother's eyes. Those hazel eyes that didn't comfort Iwaizumi in any way ever again.

"Iwaizumi… Iwaizumi!"  
Iwaizumi took a sharp breath and opened his eyes, sitting instantly up on the coach. His mind was racing and the tight feeling hadn't left his throat, and it took him a while before noticing where he was. Daichi was standing next to him, eyes full of concern.  
"You slept restlessly. Are you okay?" the soldier asked. Iwaizumi gazed him, eyes wide open in panic and took a deep breath to clear his thoughts, which were sticking together like burdocks.  
"A dream, huh?" he mumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thanks for waking me up. I'm fine."  
"Iwaizumi, you are almost crying. You can tell me what's wrong. No one else is here." Iwaizumi blinked and touched the corner of his eye, quickly wiping away the tear he felt.  
"Just a dream", the vice-captain assured and sighed, waving his legs off the couch and leaning on his knees. "Just a dream."

"Are the nightmares back?" Daichi asked carefully. "You used to suffer of them a few years ago. Was this the same as them?"  
Iwaizumi didn't answer right away and stood up. "Yup. Memories. Kuroo's reminding must have brought them back."  
"You should take a break and try to sleep", Daichi recommended and crossed his arms. "Maybe you could sleep well this time. You look like a corpse, you are pale and tired."  
"Please, don't use that word right now", Iwaizumi quickly entreated. "I'm fine. I just need some fresh air." Daichi clearly understood what word Iwaizumi meant, and he nodded a little bit skeptically.  
"If you say so. Should we go patrolling? The western city is still unchecked."  
"That's a good idea", Iwaizumi agreed. "We could visit Sugawara. Just to check how Arya is feeling."  
"Oh, Sugawara actually called me earlier", Daichi told with a low voice. "Arya is gone. He asked some of us to go there so he and Elysia could safely come here." Iwaizumi's eyes darkened and he closed his eyes for a moment.  
"We can go get them then", he said. "We could go patrolling with them? The Dolls tend to avoid patrols, so I think it would be safe. Elysia should see the city at least a bit."  
"If Suga thinks that's okay, then we can do that", Daichi hummed. "Let's go before it gets dark. Then we will be back in time before Oikawa's surgery should be ready. Remember your jacket, it's freezing outside."  
"Don't feel like wearing it", Iwaizumi sighed. "Right, is the surgery going well? Heard anything?"  
"Nothing, so I think everything is fine", Daichi answered and took his and Iwaizumi's jackets from the rack. They headed outside, Daichi carrying Iwaizumi's jacket without saying anything. It really was cold, and the wind ruffled Iwaizumi's hair and made Daichi flinch of the cold.  
"You really think you are okay with just cargo trousers and a top?" he huffed. "I'm wearing a jacket and a scarf and I'm freezing already!"  
"Yea, I'm fine", Iwaizumi mumbled and breathed the stinging cold air. "Cold hasn't bothered me for ten years."  
"You know, some of the younger soldiers say that's because your heart is also frozen", Daichi laughed shortly, trying to get the distant look in Iwaizumi's eyes disappear.  
"They might be right", the vice-captain muttered, not even gazing the other soldier. Daichi understood that he was not in the mood for chat, so they stayed quiet all the way to the Street 10. Daichi knocked the red house's door and after a while Sugawara came to open.  
"Oh, Daichi! And Iwaizumi!" the sniper greeted them with a warm smile and let the two in. "What the hell, Iwaizumi, where's your jacket?"  
"Here", Daichi chuckled and raised the moss green jacket. "He didn't feel like wearing it. Your lips are almost blue, Iwaizumi, you should have worn it after all."  
"Whatever", Iwaizumi murmured uninterestedly and turned his look in Sugawara. "Should we go? We thought that we could go patrolling before heading back to the headquarters. It should be safe with three soldiers."

Sugawara gazed Daichi, confused of the vice-captain's absent-minded voice. The other Crow just shrugged, and Sugawara turned his eyes back to Iwaizumi.  
"And you still didn't clothe properly?" he sighed overdramatically. "Seems like you can't take care of yourself without me, Iwaizumi. But yea, we can go. Elysia! Iwaizumi and Daichi came!"  
"Iwaizumi!" the girl's bright voice echoed from the other room and she quickly ran to the vice-captain and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You are okay!"  
"I said I would be fine, after all", Iwaizumi chuckled, getting a small warm light in his tired eyes. "How about you? I'm sorry for your loss. Are you feeling okay?"  
"Yes, I am fine", Elysia assured and nodded. "Grandma is in Heaven with mom and dad, so I don't need to worry. She was happy in her last moments, thanks to Koshi, so there's nothing to grieve about."  
"You are a strong girl", Iwaizumi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "But we should go now. Are you ready? Do you have anything you want to take with you?"  
"Oh, I have", the girl aspirated and ran back to the other room. She came back with a little backpack.  
"Are we ready to go then?" Sugawara asked and raised his sister on his arms after she had put on her coat. Elysia nodded and they headed outside. Daichi took a color gun from his pocket and marked the door with a green dot, which meant the house was abandoned.  
"Iwaizumi, put that jacket on", Sugawara insisted and shoved the cloth for the vice-captain. "You'll freeze and get a cold. And you didn't like sickness leaves, am I right?"  
"He couldn't even take one", Daichi told and made the sniper turn his eyes to him. "Kuroo said that those three weeks of vacation that Iwaizumi promised for you will be taken from his vacations and sickness leaves", the Crow continued and patted Iwaizumi's back at the word 'his'. "He literally doesn't get to take a break in next century."  
"Really?" Sugawara aspirated. "You could just have come to get me back!"  
"I don't mind", Iwaizumi sighed. "Really, Suga, it's fine."  
"No it's not", the grey-haired sniper insisted. "You'll have to work even if you're sick! That's so damn unfair."  
"Life is unfair. That's the smallest of my problems with Kuroo." Sugawara tilted his head in confuse and gazed Daichi, who just signed with his hand that he would tell everything later.

"Remember to stay aware of your surroundings, Elysia", Sugawara recommended to his sister. "Are you cold?"  
"No, it's warm- Look, big bro! Snow!" Elysia giggled and pointed to the sky with her small hands. Iwaizumi's eyes widened and he turned to look at the sky.  
"In October?" Daichi sighed. "It's going to be a cold and long winter." Small snowflakes were falling slowly to the ground, and it was suddenly quiet. Even the wind had stopped, and the whole city was still, just waiting for the first snow of the year to make it look bright and hopeful. For Iwaizumi that light felt distant and unreachable, and the white snowflakes turned into red splatters of blood in his eyes.  
"I think we should go", he said, voice cracking slightly in the end, trying to stop the feeling of terror from taking over his mind. "To the headquarters. Before it starts snowing more."  
"Are you cold?" Sugawara asked, but Daichi nudged his side with his elbow, giving a warning look to the other soldier.  
"Yea, we should go", the Crow's captain agreed. "It's late already. Should we go from the Street 9?"  
"Eight", Iwaizumi corrected. "It's only a bit longer, so it really doesn't matter." Daichi nodded without asking anything, and they headed to the headquarters. Iwaizumi was walking quickly and his frown had deepened. Street 9 was the place where his family was killed. Normally he didn't mind walking there, he was used to it, but now he wanted to avoid it. Iwaizumi wasn't the type to overact like this. He had lived ten years in the middle of battles and death, but he couldn't get over his family's death. When it was on his mind, everything reminded him of it, and he was tense and nervous. He would have been fine this time also if he wouldn't have had that nightmare. The snow was the last trigger that made Iwaizumi feel like he was losing his mind.

When Iwaizumi closed the door behind him, he could finally breathe properly. Sugawara put Elysia down, gazed Iwaizumi concernedly and followed his excited sister to the other side of the room.  
"Fuck, Daichi, it's worse than I thought", Iwaizumi aspirated to the Crow. "I don't think I can go outside when it's snowing. Not now at least."  
"I won't even ask", the other soldier sighed. "Are you okay?"  
Before Iwaizumi could answer the question that sounded almost like a sick joke in this situation, one of the soldiers walked to him. It was Tsukishima, one of the Crows, and Shirabu from Eagles was right after him.  
"Iwaizumi", the tall blonde started. "What the fuck is going on with his place? Why is our leader some kind of jerk who just shows up and leaves after annoying everyone enough?"  
"Tsukishima, watch your words", Daichi warned. "It's not probably a good time for this."  
"It's okay, Daichi", Iwaizumi assured and sighed. "I partly agree with you, Tsukishima, but Kuroo is an important soldier. He just likes to show off with his information, and usually does that the wrong way."  
"I almost can take that, since he isn't here often and I particularly don't even take orders from him", Tsukishima snarled. "But you are even worse. How the hell am I supposed to be here, when you snap and start throwing knifes at your leader when he insults your father a little?"  
"I think you are making too much of a fuss", Iwaizumi stated patiently. "I threw a knife once. I won't do it again. So what's your problem? Are you scared that I might get angry at you and scratch your ear?" He knew it wasn't advisable to answer the soldier's accusations with sarcasm, but he wasn't in a mood for chit-chat.  
"I'm not", the soldier spitted. "But that isn't sane. I will not stay here if both of our leaders are insane."  
"You aren't allowed to leave, remember?" Iwaizumi sighed. "You promised to stay here when you joined."  
"I don't give a shit about what I'm allowed to do", Tsukishima growled. "Why are you so fucking sensitive? Was your father so dear to you? Are you a little kid who misses his father? I won't follow that kind of vice-captain, so give us some reasoning."

"Tsukishima, enough", Daichi snapped, but Iwaizumi signed him to be quiet.  
"My father got killed by the Dolls ten years ago", the vice-captain dropped. "He was a soldier and could have killed those Dolls. He didn't do that because they were his friends and he believed medics could find a medicine to help them. That didn't happen, and he got killed by those friends along with my mother and sisters." Iwaizumi squinted his eyes and looked straight at Tsukishima. "Kuroo blamed my father of what happened. Am I not allowed to defend him, when everyone here can relate to his feeling? I guess you wouldn't be able to shoot your closest friends either." The silence that fell between them felt like it could crush them in an instant, and Tsukishima raised his chin, not letting his salty shell break.  
"You are right with that", he admitted. "And that's why this all is insane. I will not follow people who have their own motives to do this."  
"Then don't", Iwaizumi hummed and shrugged. "What will you do? Your own attacks and plans? You don't have to follow me or Kuroo as long as you do what Daichi tells you to do", he said. "He's not as insane as I am, is he?"  
Tsukishima looked upset and angry, and he just let out a 'tsk' and turned around, walking straight out of the room.  
"I'm sorry", Daichi hurried to apologize. "Tsukishima is like that. He doesn't mean everything he says." Iwaizumi didn't answer, he just stared at the door where Tsukishima had left a moment ago.  
"Everything's falling apart", he mumbled, too quiet for Daichi to hear. "Daichi, go check that Elysia and Sugawara are fine. After that you can go to sleep. No more plans for tonight."  
"Sure, but are you really alright?" the Crow ensured.  
"Yup, I'm just sleepy", Iwaizumi sighed and walked to the operating room. Yachi was sitting next to the door, and stood up when he saw the vice-captain.  
"Iwaizumi! I was waiting for you", she said. "The surgery went well. Oikawa even woke up a while ago, so you can go visit him now, Shimizu and other just left." The news made a relieved smile appear on Iwaizumi's tired face.  
"That's good to hear. Thank you, Yachi. You can go rest now", he said and passed the medic to go to the operating room. The door's opening made Oikawa raise his head, and the sniper smiled widely when he saw his teammate.  
"Hi, Hajime", he greeted. "How has your day been?" Iwaizumi didn't answer, he just walked to the bed and got on it, snuggling to Oikawa's side.  
"Shitty", he mumbled. "Do you mind if I stay here? I'm so damn tired and I don't think I can get any sleep in the middle of the others."  
"I won't even ask", Oikawa chuckled warmly. "Sure. You can tell everything tomorrow after you have slept those bags under your eyes away."  
Iwaizumi let out an agreeing sound and closed his eyes. Oikawa smiled and petted the spiky hair carefully, letting the brunet fall in deep, dreamless sleep next to him. 


	9. Chapter 9

When Iwaizumi slightly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Oikawa staring at him with his typical pout on his face.  
"Ah, you finally woke up", the taller brunet said with an amused laughter in his voice. "Seriously, Hajime, you're such a sleepyhead. I fell asleep after you but woke up way earlier than you!"  
"What time is it?" the vice-captain muttered and sat up, scratching the back of his head tiredly. "I should probably be in a patrol already."  
"That's the first thing you say?" Oikawa sounded offended. "Are you even awake? I thought you would say at least something about this." He waved his right hand in front of Iwaizumi's face, and the vice-captain had to blink his eyes in amaze. The sniper really had a right arm now, it was a metallic prosthesis that looked just like a real arm. It was exactly the same size as Oikawa's left arm, and it was even made to match Oikawa's body structure.  
"Right", he aspirated. "Holy shit, Tooru, that's incredible", he reached to the prosthesis and tapped the metallic surface a few times. "I fell asleep without even noticing it? I must have been deadly tired or something. It looks just like a real arm."  
"Those strings don't really belong to it, they are there just to support the prosthesis' weight until my shoulder is healed", Oikawa explained. "And yes, you didn't say a word yesterday. But now you are even more excited than me", he laughed brightly. "This is awesome, Hajime, I can move the fingers without a problem already." He wiggled the metallic fingers and then bended his elbow, smiling widely like a child who had just got a new toy. "You can't even think what this feels like!"  
"I really can't", Iwaizumi admitted, still observing the prosthesis with sharp eyes. "Mr. Collins really did an excellent job. When will you be able to use it normally?"  
"Will said that I should let it rest a few days, but then I can slowly start using it properly", Oikawa told. "Moving it like this isn't a problem, but I shouldn't carry anything heavy. But I can attend to patrols and thing like that tomorrow already!"  
"Tomorrow?" Iwaizumi repeated. "So soon? That's amazing, Tooru! Those medicines had are really incredible."  
"I know right, my shoulder has healed really quickly thanks to them", Oikawa chuckled. "But now I want to know what I have missed. You said you had an awful day yesterday, so I think many things happened?"  
"You can't even guess", Iwaizumi huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back in the bed. "Well, firstly, Sugawara is back. He brought his sister, Elysia, here too."  
"That's good to hear", Oikawa noted. "Is he okay?"  
"Yes, he is", Iwaizumi assured. "Elysia seemed to be fine with moving here, so I think everything is okay for now with them."  
"What's wrong, then?" Oikawa asked and tilted his head, a little worried light in his eyes. "You hardly ever complain about your day, so calling yesterday 'shitty' must have some reasons behind it?"  
"Oh", Iwaizumi mumbled. "I said that?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get a hold of last day's memories. "Well, Kuroo is the main reason."  
"I knew he would not do anything good in here", Oikawa huffed. "Who did he trash this time?"  
"My dad", Iwaizumi sighed and made Oikawa fall quiet. "Kuroo somehow found out that the Dolls that killed my father were his friends, and you can just guess what our precious leader did with that information. He called me soft for letting Sugawara stay at his family's, compared me to my father, saying that it was my father's softness that killed my family." Iwaizumi slowly shook his head. "I kinda snapped and threw a knife towards him. It luckily just scratched his ear just as I had meant it to."  
"Even I wouldn't have believed that Kuroo would do something like that!" Oikawa spat. "He knows very well how sensitive thing that is for you. He deserved that scratch."  
"He really did", Iwaizumi agreed with a sigh. "The problem about that is Tsukishima. He isn't happy with my behavior, if I'd say it like that. But that's okay as long as he listens to Daichi at least. I just hope he won't try to leave."  
"Why everyone here is such an asshole", Oikawa sighed and run his fingers through his hair. "I completely understand why you were tired and done with that day."  
"Actually the main reason is that I couldn't sleep well before", Iwaizumi mumbled and leaned on his hands. "I tried to take a nap after Kuroo left, but seems like his words triggered the old memories enough."  
"Nightmares?" Oikawa guessed. "Just like a few years ago?"  
"Yup", Iwaizumi sighed. "And illusions. It started to snow when I went outside a little later that evening. It reminded me of that day and I saw the snowflakes as blood drops. Fuck, Tooru, I almost lost my mind while a short patrol."  
"That sounds bad", Oikawa mumbled and observed Iwaizumi's eyes with his look. "But you slept well now?"  
"Yep, not a single dream", the vice-captain told. "I think I will be fine in few days if nothing triggers the memories even more."  
"You should take a few day's vacation, then", Oikawa recommended. "A sickness leave or something. You look still tired, and you won't last even two days without proper sleep if you also work."  
"Can't do that", Iwaizumi hummed. "Kuroo took three weeks off my vacations as a result of defending Sugawara. I can't take even sickness leaves in next three weeks."  
"Does he really want to kill you or something?" Oikawa aspirated. "That's insane! He wouldn't have done that if it was someone else than you. What's his problem?"  
"Either he wants to see if I am really prepared to be a leader someday or he wants me dead. Either way I need to go talk to him, he can't keep doing this if he wants everyone to stay here", Iwaizumi sighed with a clearly bored tone in his low voice. "Let's see what kind of shit he makes up this time."  
"I think you should just stay away from him, but you have a point", Oikawa mumbled, face as unamused as his face could probably be. "The situation really sounds like it's falling apart."  
"It really is", Iwaizumi agreed and shrugged slightly. "If Kuroo wants to keep triggering me and making the others uncomfortable, he should take responsibility of that."  
"Good luck then", Oikawa said and slapped Iwaizumi's back lightly. "Kuroo should at least know which topics he shouldn't talk about with you."  
Iwaizumi gazed the other brunet, rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yea, he knows those topics well, and that's why he will most probably make me talk about them."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Iwaizumi knocked the white, wooden door that had many cracks and detritions in its paint. After hearing an approving sound from inside he opened the door and stepped in a small, stuffed room. The walls were full of shelves which were almost bursting of documents and books. Kuroo was standing in front of one of the shelves and tried to fit one more book in it.  
"I really need more space, don't you think?" the raven-haired Cat noted. "Maybe I should order one more shelf from that kind smith. She would make me a new one, right?" He turned to look at his vice-captain and instantly lowered the book to the desk next to him. "Uh-oh, that isn't a nice face. You clearly have some serious facts to tell me."  
"You aren't wrong with that", Iwaizumi admitted. "I came to ask you to stop showing up when the other soldiers are in the headquarters. They don't like you."  
"That's way too harsh", Kuroo sighed and kept going with his overdramatic whining: "I have put my soul and heart in this job, and this is what I get?"  
"Maybe you should take that heart back to yourself and try to sympathize for a change. Most of the soldiers hadn't even seen you before, and you choose to give such a beautiful first impression. Especially Tsukishima seems to be done with your shit already. You put me on a tough spot, too, running away from your responsibilities like that", Iwaizumi stated, keeping his voice calm. "You should act like a leader."  
"I'm a busy guy", Kuroo hummed. "Is the situation too tough for you? You are supposed to be my vice-captain, Iwaizumi. Did I hurt your feelings yesterday?"  
"That scratch in your ear should be a proper answer for that", Iwaizumi stated. "Do you really have something against me? You knew I would react like that."  
"Shortly put: you are too popular", Kuroo answered surprisingly quick. "Always so reliable and kind. I need to show the short-tempered side of you before the soldiers follow you rather than me. As a leader of this little group I can't risk my position."  
Iwaizumi squinted and tilted his head a bit. "You are surprisingly honest. Care to continue?"  
"Well, since you aren't the type to whine to people, I guess I can tell", Kuroo chuckled shortly. "I'm not satisfied with you as my vice-captain. You are too soft for that position. But if I'd kick you out now, the possibility of rebellion would be high. So I just need to turn the soldiers against you before doing that", he grinned and raised his chin. "The other option is to break you. And I think I have a good start on that."  
"You are even more of a shithead than I thought", Iwaizumi spat. "Challenge accepted. Let's see if you can kick me out of here. But before that, you really need to promise me to keep away from the other soldiers", the brunet continued. "You can trash me all you want, but you have to admit that it would be bad if they'd leave this place."  
"I don't make promises for softies", Kuroo hummed and turned his back for Iwaizumi. "Someone who can't get over a few deaths doesn't deserve my promises."  
"Easy for you to talk, since you haven't lost anyone", Iwaizumi snarled. "You should try experiencing a trauma. It doesn't have an on-off -switch."  
"Ah, you are right", Kuroo chuckled. "I haven't lost anyone, because my relatives know who are their enemies."  
"Again with that?" Iwaizumi huffed. "Looks like we are done. As your vice-captain I guess I have to put up with your shit, but let me tell that you make it really, really difficult." He turned around and headed to the door, not giving a single glance to his leader again.  
"You are a complete failure, Iwaizumi. I wonder why Ukai ever saved you from the Dolls."  
Iwaizumi slammed the door shut behind him, feeling the anger boiling in his veins. How did Kuroo always get the last word? 


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, you are awake already. I thought I would be the first one to wake up." Oikawa's chirpy voice made Iwaizumi's head ache, and the vice-captain pinched the bridge of his nose before turning his look to the other soldier. Oikawa's mood clearly dropped and the worried pout appeared on his face when he saw the shadows under his teammate's eyes.  
"You didn't sleep at all?"  
"Not really", Iwaizumi admitted with a heavy sigh. "Maybe twenty minutes." He took the coffee jar from the shelf and looked inside it. Empty. Just his usual luck.  
"No coffee, I see", Oikawa murmured. "I still have the energy drink Will gave me in case I feel exhausted because of the surgery, but I don't need it. You can have it." He took the bottle from his jacket's pocket and threw it to Iwaizumi.  
"You're a lifesaver", the shorter brunet huffed and opened the bottle, drinking half of the drink with one draught. "We should drop by the shop today, I really need some coffee if I want to stay awake."  
"I'd recommend sleeping before caffeine", Oikawa stated, "but I understand if you don't have time for a nap. What's the plan for today?"  
"For me it's three patrols and a hunt", the vice-captain told and scratched the back of his head. "Kuroo hasn't told where we are going yet, but the first patrol consists of me, you, Kageyama and Yaku. The second one is me, you, Ennoshita and Akaashi. The last one is me, you, Daichi and Sugawara. Me, Ennoshita, Bokuto, Akaashi and Shirabu are picked for a hunt."  
"Kuroo really is unfair today", Oikawa sighed. "I understand that I have to attend all the patrols since I can't do anything else, but you should get a break. He really must have something against you."  
"If you only knew", Iwaizumi murmured, too quiet for Oikawa to hear. "Well, the patrols are short ones, only one or two streets, so that doesn't really matter. Right, how is your arm? I didn't even notice it because of the jacket and gloves", he changed the subject quickly and nodded slightly towards the prosthesis.  
"Take-chan suggested me to use long sleeves and gloves, so the civilians wouldn't freak out", Oikawa explained with an embarrassed laughter in his voice. "He said I should learn to use it properly before I can show it. But it's good, it doesn't hurt or ache at all." Almost like to strengthen his words, the sniper raised his elbow and rolled his shoulder a few times. "It's really amazing how quickly this heals."  
"How long it will take before you can use it properly?" Iwaizumi asked. "Weeks?"  
"I don't know, but I really want to be fine when the fair starts", Oikawa said and sighed quietly. "My parents sent a letter and told that they will be coming there, too. Now I don't know if I should tell them about this before the fair or let them notice it themselves."  
"I don't think you should worry them too much", Iwaizumi noted and threw the empty energy drink bottle in the trash can. "Losing limbs is pretty normal in military, after all. I think they are prepared for that, so you should just let it be."  
"Right", Oikawa nodded. "Do you know others who will be coming here for the fair?"  
"Kuguri's and Kindaichi's parents, and I think Semi's father is also coming. I don't know if Kenma has informed them, but I think I will at least need to explain their children's deaths." The vice-captain let out a heavy sigh. "I hate nothing more than telling parents that their son is dead."  
"Do they usually take it well?" Oikawa asked quietly. "Parents in general, I mean."  
"No, of course not", Iwaizumi huffed and crossed his arms. "Usually they break at the latest when I have to give them their son's belongings. It's not unusual to hear blaming or yelling. I just hope that Kuguri's and Semi's parents will take it well", the brunet sighed. "Bokuto doesn't need any more blame on his shoulders."  
"Neither do you", Oikawa pointed out. "Let's hope it will go well. Anyway, should I go to get the others? The patrol is supposed to be an early one, I guess?"  
"Yup, I'll try to reach Kuroo", Iwaizumi agreed. "Let's hope that he isn't still sleeping like a sloth he is." Oikawa let out an amused chuckle and headed to the bedroom. Iwaizumi was just going to take his radiophone from his shoulder when it let out a scratchy sound.  
"Iwaizumi, you hear me? I know you are awake." An annoyed 'tsk' escaped from Iwaizumi's lips and he pressed the answering button without greeting his leader in any way.  
"So I was right", Kuroo chuckled from the other end of the line. The chuckle was far from Oikawa's one, it was so self-conscious and mocking that Iwaizumi wanted to puke. "You have a morning shift, I see. As well as a day shift. And evening."  
"Stop talking like we were office workers", Iwaizumi snapped. "Just tell me where are we supposed to go."  
"Oh, impatient as always. Let's see, the patrols are short ones where you are supposed to check all the buildings on the way. Three patrols… I think you haven't checked streets seven and three in a while. The third one – first patrol – could be street 9." Iwaizumi gritted his teeth and had to stop himself for shouting in the radiophone.  
"Nine? You really play dirty", he hissed. "Fine. Seven, three and nine. Clear."  
"Clear, my dear vice-captain."  
Iwaizumi put the radiophone back in its place although he felt like he wanted to crush it. How easy it would have been if Kuroo was like that for everyone. He would be kicked out in no time. But it was just Iwaizumi he was against. And even Iwaizumi had to admit that they wouldn't be able to do this without Kuroo. He was smart, both in good and vicious way, and that made his plans effective. With a help of Kenma they made plans that worked almost without an exception. This little unit needed them.  
"Here we are", Yaku, the shortest soldier in the unit, yawned while stretching his arms. "Where are we going?"  
"Street nine", Iwaizumi answered with a harsh voice. "Let's go." He led the three other soldiers to the door, and right after they had stepped outside Oikawa moved to walk besides Iwaizumi.  
"Wait wait wait", he blabbered. "Isn't Street 9 that…"  
"I don't need reminding of that, Tooru", Iwaizumi snarled shortly. "Orders are orders."  
"You sure you'll be fine?" the other brunet asked with a low voice.  
"I'm fine as long as I stay awake", Iwaizumi huffed and rubbed his eyes with his other hand. "Really, Tooru, I'll say if it gets too difficult."  
"You better do that", Oikawa murmured. "I've seen you when your trauma gets triggered too much. I don't want to see that again."

The street was quiet and still. It was still quite dark, and Iwaizumi knew it wasn't the best possible timing for a short patrol, since they would have to check all the houses and wake up the civilians living here. Luckily the street was almost full of abandoned buildings, so they wouldn't need to bother many civilians.  
Iwaizumi knocked the wooden door twice and stepped back a little bit, waiting for someone to open the door. The patrol had divided in two parts, Yaku and Kageyama checking one side of the street while Oikawa and Iwaizumi were on the other. Iwaizumi was just going to knock again, when the door handle turned and the door opened.  
"Who in the- Oh", there was a middle-aged man standing on the doorstep. "Morning."  
"Morning", Iwaizumi greeted when Oikawa had done the same, the vice-captain continued: "I apologize for waking you up, but we are just checking the houses around here. Has everything been okay lately?"  
"Yes yes, we are fine", the man answered. "Although I heard some noises from the end of the street yesterday. Would you check that out?"  
"Yes, we will", Iwaizumi nodded. "Are you living here alone?"  
Before the man had time to answer, a little boy hurried to his side. "Dad, have they seen Wanda? Have they?" the boy asked, clinging on his father's shirt.  
"Oh, right", the man said and ruffled his son's hair, raising his look back to the soldiers. "I know that this might sound irrelevant and you probably have enough work already, but our dog disappeared two days ago. She is really important to my son, so if you wouldn't mind…"  
"Of course we can tell if we see her", Iwaizumi promised. "What is she like?"  
"You are so kind, thank you", the man thanked. "Wanda is a German Shepherd, quite small for that breed. She should still have her collar, it's light blue. She is really kind and should come to you when you call it by name."  
"Sounds easy enough", Iwaizumi noted. "We will tell you if we see her and bring her back if possible."  
"Thank you so much", the man thanked again and bowed a little. "You can call me Sam. To answer your question, I live with my two sons. There's no others. Mark's big brother is still sleeping, but I can wake him up if you want to."  
"There's no need to wake him up", Iwaizumi assured. "Stay safe", he crouched down to ruffle Mark's hair. "We will bring Wanda back."  
"Hajime, we really should go", Oikawa reminded carefully. "We should be back before noon."  
"Hajime? Iwaizumi Hajime, the vice-captain of this city's soldiers?" Sam asked with widened eyes. "So you must be Oikawa Tooru, right?" He instantly lowered his head. "It's an honor to meet you two."  
"I'm amazed that you know us", Iwaizumi noted, running his fingers through his hair in embarrassment. "Do you have familiars in our unit?"  
"Tadashi – my older son - has a friend there", Sam explained. "He visits us quite often, but now he hasn't been here in few days, Tadashi is quite worried. I think he called him Kei?" Iwaizumi gazed Oikawa in surprise. Tsukishima had friends outside of the unit?  
"Anyhow, there's no need to be honored or anything", Iwaizumi assured, turning his look back to Sam. "We are just like the other soldiers. And Kei is alright, your son doesn't need to worry."  
"I'm glad to hear that", Sam sighed in relief. "Is there anything we could do for you?"  
"Well, if you have a packet of coffee, that would be much help", Oikawa chirped before Iwaizumi had time to say anything. The vice-captain gazed his teammate angrily, but he just shrugged.  
"What? The shops aren't open yet, and you really need something to keep you awake before the next patrol", he defended his actions. "But if you don't have any, that's fine, too", he assured to Sam.  
"Actually we have", Sam told, clearly glad that he found some way to help the soldiers. "Neither of us drinks coffee, but we have a few packets in the kitchen. Mark, could you get them?"  
"Yes, Dad", the boy said and went back to the house. Iwaizumi didn't ask why they had coffee if neither of them drank that. He could've guessed the reason, some of their relatives that was no longer here had probably drank coffee.  
"You really are shameless", Iwaizumi sighed to Oikawa, who just flashed his carefree peace-sign and smiled.  
"It's really nothing", Sam assured and took the two packets from his son who had come back. "These would just go to waste otherwise." He handed the packets to Iwaizumi, and the vice-captain put them in Oikawa's rucksack after thanking Sam overwhelmingly.  
"Well, as you said, you should probably keep going", Sam noted. "Take care!"  
"Same goes to you", Iwaizumi said and the two soldiers waved goodbyes to the civilians. "Stay safe!"  
"A dog, huh?" Oikawa sighed. "I understand that pets are important to their owners, but we really have enough work to do already, Hajime. You shouldn't have accepted it."  
"We just need to keep out eyes open, that's all", Iwaizumi huffed. "Shouldn't be too draining for you. I neither am going to search for that dog only, we just do same as usual but keep out eyes open for Wanda."  
"I guess you are right", Oikawa admitted. "But do you think we will find it alive? If it's as kind and caring as Sam told, it should've returned already."  
"No one knows", Iwaizumi sighed and shrugged. "But now we should just concentrate on the patrol."  
Oikawa agreed with a slight sound, and they continued checking the buildings. There were no other populated buildings in this side of the street, so they were done quite quickly. They stopped to wait for Yaku and Kageyama when they had only two buildings left to check. Iwaizumi looked around, recognizing the places without a doubt. He saw the building with a broken window which was now sealed with boards. It was the place where they hid with his family, the place where he saw his mother and sisters last time alive. The brunet turned his head, eyes following the path his mother and sisters had most probably tried to escape from the Dolls. The picture of his mother's eyes flashed in his mind, and he squeezed his hands to fists.  
"Hajime, your hands are shaking", Oikawa woke him up from his thoughts with concerned voice. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah", the shorter soldier murmured. "I'm fine." He was feeling really uneasy, and he couldn't help the shaking of his hands which were suddenly cold. "Yaku and Kageyama should be here soon, right?"  
"Yup, I think they are in that old store there", Oikawa said and pointed to the high building that had sealed windows. "Checking if the upper floors are empty, I guess."  
"Good", Iwaizumi let out a relieved sigh and crossed his arms. He didn't have any problems when he had something to do, but staying still like this got slowly on his nerves.  
"Has Elysia got used to living in the headquarters?" Oikawa asked and tilted his head. "Did she sleep well?" He was clearly trying to find a topic for a conversation, and Iwaizumi gladly took the opportunity to get his thoughts away from this place.  
"Yup, she seemed to be in a deep sleep when I left", the vice-captain told. "Sugawara had given her his underlay, so she would feel more comfortable. I should get a new one for him from somewhere."  
"Sugawara is so sweet brother", Oikawa chuckled. "I'm sure he will make Elysia feel cozy. She will spend the days with medics when Sugawara is elsewhere, right?"  
"If it is okay with Kiyoko, then yes, otherwise Yachi will take care of her", Iwaizumi said and scratched the back of his head. "Kuroo hasn't showed any interest in the situation, so I think he's fine with it. He would have brought that up yesterday if he wanted to." Oikawa nodded slightly in agreement. Iwaizumi had an urge to tell Oikawa about the conversation he and Kuroo had yesterday, but before he could even think about it again, Kageyama and Yaku jogged to them.  
"Sorry we are late", Kageyama aspirated. "Everything's alright in the left side, but many of the civilians mentioned a strange noise from yesterday evening. They said it came from the end of the street."  
"We heard that too", Iwaizumi told. "That's why we waited you here. We should go there together just in case."  
Kageyama nodded in agreement, and the four soldiers headed to the end of Street 9. Iwaizumi found himself glancing around like he was afraid of something attacking them, and that made the brunet feel upset. Why he had to act like a spooked mouse, when it had been already ten years since anything happened here?  
When they reached the final corner, Iwaizumi slowed down a little bit. His nerves were even more on the edge than before, and he tried his best to stay calm when they turned from the corner.  
His heart skipped a beat and he took a sharp breath, reeling a few steps back and almost colliding with Oikawa when he saw a bloody corpse laying in the ground. For a few seconds he was sure it was his father, but after he had blinked twice he noticed that it was just an unfamiliar civilian. His heart was racing, and he felt Oikawa's hand on his shoulder.  
"Breathe", the sniper whispered with a low voice so the other two soldiers wouldn't hear. "It's okay, Hajime. Breathe."  
Iwaizumi took a deep breath and tried to stop the shaking of his hands. "It's fine. Can you… check the corpse?" he asked without looking in his teammate's eyes. "I think I shouldn't do that."  
"Of course", Oikawa said and patted the vice-captain's shoulder, then moving to crouch down next to the corpse. Iwaizumi was painfully conscious about the concerned stares in his back, but he didn't even look at Kageyama and Yaku. He put his hands in his pockets, trying to get them at least little bit warmer.  
"He's dead, I think for more than five hours", Oikawa said and stood up. "He was a normal civilian, so I suppose a Doll has killed him. But Hajime, I'm concerned about these wounds. If you could…"  
"Yup, I'm fine already", Iwaizumi assured and walked to the corpse, crouching down next to it. His frown deepened when he observed the wounds in the man's back and neck.  
"They don't look like the wounds that would have been caused by another human", the vice-captain mumbled. "Not even by a Doll. I think it was an animal."  
"The street dogs have never attacked anyone before", Oikawa noted. "Should we warn the civilians living nearby?"  
"I don't think there's need for that", Iwaizumi said and stood up, quickly wiping the blood stains in his fingers to his trousers. "That would just spread panic. Whatever it was, it's hopefully away from here now."  
"Let's hope so", Kageyama sighed. "We have enough problems already."  
"We should get him to the headquarters so Kiyoko would say what she thinks of these wounds", Iwaizumi stated. "And bury him then, the corpse would start to stink if we'd leave it here."  
"Right, Kageyama, could you carry him?" Oikawa asked surprisingly quick and got an unamused gaze from Iwaizumi. "What? He's the second strongest of us, and you will not carry anything right now, you'll faint."  
"Stop pampering me", Iwaizumi huffed. "But you are right, Kageyama would probably be the best one. Is it okay?"  
"Well, Yaku can take my rucksack, so I think I'll be fine", Kageyama assured and walked to the corpse, lifting it up easily. "Yup, he is light enough."  
"Good", Oikawa hummed and quickly gazed Iwaizumi. "We should go, then."  
"Right", Iwaizumi mumbled, fraying his hands together to get them warm. "Let's go." The street felt threatening and unfamiliar, and the vice-captain wanted to get back to the headquarters as soon as possible.  
"Should we go from Street 7?" Oikawa suggested. "It's a completely abandoned street, so we could quickly check the buildings there to get one patrol off the schedule."  
"That's a good idea", Yaku admitted, and Kageyama nodded in agreement. "I think no one has anything against some free time. What do you think, Iwaizumi?"  
The vice-captain rolled his eyes. "I don't know if Kuroo will approve this, but fine. Let's go from Street 7." 

As Oikawa had predicted, checking the abandoned buildings didn't take long, and they were back at the headquarters way before noon. Iwaizumi's hands were shaking the whole time, and that seemed to concern Oikawa. Even Kageyama and Yaku looked like they wanted to ask what was wrong, but luckily they had enough manners to not start asking anything. It was cold, but that wasn't the cause of the shaking. Iwaizumi's nerves were still on the edge, even when he tried to calm down and breathe normally.  
"Pathetic", he snarled when they got to the hallway of the headquarters and Kageyama and Yaku had gone to the medics. "I can't stop my hand from shaking, although I am not even near the street anymore."  
"That's not pathetic", Oikawa assured. "You just need a slight break and some coffee. We had bad luck, that corpse was in worst possible place, but you just need to organize your thoughts a bit and you'll be back on track. And that's why, my dear vice-captain, you will go to take a nap. I will make some coffee, and you will rest. The hunt can wait a few hours and the patrol is the evening one, so you have free time now."  
"Are you trying to pretend being my mom or something?" Iwaizumi huffed. "If I wouldn't be so damn tired, you couldn't pamper me around like that. I thought it would be the best if we'd go to the hunt now, at noon, when the Dolls are the most active."  
"Oh no, you don't", Oikawa chuckled and pushed the other soldier towards the coach. "Iwa-chan is a good boy now and will go to sleep if I say so."  
"Where that nickname came from again? You really sound like an old woman, stop that", Iwaizumi complained. "And your hand is freezing cold, take it away from my back!" He collapsed to the coach and turned his back to Oikawa, accepting his fate without more complaints. "You better not wake me up then, stupid."  
"I won't, you don't need to worry", Oikawa promised. "I'll just drink all the coffee if you don't wake up until it's done."  
"You freaking shithead", Iwaizumi mumbled, changed his posture to a more comfortable one and closed his eyes. The darkness quickly turned into a restless sleep that started to feel like a routine for him – the one full of nightmares and memories.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hajime." The voice felt distant and unreachable, and Iwaizumi tried to get a grip of it to get out of the dream that held him in its embrace. "Hajime, wake up!"  
Finally the brunet could open his eyes and move his limbs. He turned his head and his slightly squinted eyes met Oikawa's, giving an accusative and tired look to the other soldier  
"I thought I told you to not wake me up", the vice-captain mumbled and sat up on the coach. "But I guess I'm thankful."  
"I know, but Kenma is here", the sniper said. "The new soldiers are here. You should welcome them."  
"The ones who will take Kuguri, Semi and Kindaichi's places?" Iwaizumi assured and stood up. "Where are they?"  
"In the hallway", Oikawa told. "Wait, you should at least do something to your hair before going, you look like a bum."  
"I do?" Iwaizumi huffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Whatever. You coming with me?"  
"Yup, Kenma said that they will train a few days with us two before they move to their real teams", Oikawa explained while they were walking to the hallway. "They looked like nice guys. You will like them, I'm sure of that."  
"I really hope that they are more tolerable than Tsukishima", Iwaizumi noted.  
"Trust me, they are", Oikawa chuckled. They saw Kenma standing in the hallway next to three soldiers and walked to them.  
"Finally", Kenma sighed, looking extremely bored. "Iwaizumi, these are the new soldiers. You will have to teach them to move and act here, so I'll leave you now. Oh, and Kuroo told that both the hunt and the patrol got changed a bit, these three will attend those too. That's all."  
"Okay, guess there's no complaining about that", Iwaizumi hummed. "Thanks, Kenma. See ya."  
The strategist just hummed a sound and walked away after giving a bunch of papers for Iwaizumi. The vice-captain leafed them through quickly and raised his head to look at the three new soldiers.  
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Iwaizumi, and I'm the vice-captain of this unit. I'm basically in charge of giving orders here, since Kuroo rarely visits. You are…" He turned his look to the first soldier, tall brunet whose eyebrows were remarkably thick and face was decorated with a smug grin.  
"Matsukawa Issei, joining Team Owl", he said and tilted his head, lifting his chin a little. "In your service, vice-cap."  
"Just Iwaizumi is fine", the brunet assured and turned his eyes to the next man.  
"Hanamaki Takahiro, nice to meet you", he instantly said and then slapped Matsukawa's back slightly too forcefully. "Joining Owls with this dork." He was only a little bit shorter than Matsukawa, still being way taller than Iwaizumi was. Iwaizumi would have preferred to not to be the shortest one of them, but turning to look at the last soldier didn't help that feeling at all. The brunet could have sworn that this guy was taller than any of the others, even taller than Kuroo and Tsukishima.  
"Haiba Lev in your service, vice-captain Iwaizumi!" the man declared with an over-excited voice. "I'm joining team Eagles!"  
Iwaizumi observed the green eyes a while. That excitement bothered him, but he pushed that feeling away and just nodded slightly. "Good. I will introduce you all to your team captains later, but now we should probably just check the headquarters. Right, what kind of guns do you use?"  
"Rifle", Matsukawa and Lev answered at the same time.  
"Handguns", Hanamaki told and grinned. "Rifle is also fine."  
"So no handgun users for Eagles, huh?" Iwaizumi mumbled partly to himself and signed the others to follow him. "Kindaichi used handguns. I hope that doesn't affect them."  
"I will make sure that won't happen!" Lev promised. "I will do my best in the battlefield, too, it doesn't matter if I use handguns or a rifle, right?"  
Oikawa flinched slightly when Iwaizumi turned around and stared at the tall soldier with squinted eyes, a deep frown making him look incredibly angry. "Where do you think you are?" the vice-captain asked with a low voice. The lack of energy and caffeine had made his temper short, and he stared at the soldier with burning eyes. "On a playground? Of course it matters if you use a rifle or handguns. We aren't an unorganized unit. I'm not asking you to do anything in the battlefield yet. You clearly don't have a clue what it's like."  
"Um, I'm sorry if I seemed reckless", Lev mumbled. "But I'm not a newbie, I have been in a war before, you don't need to worry about that."  
"The war between humans is completely different from this", Iwaizumi snarled and felt Oikawa's hand on his shoulder.  
"Hajime, don't pick fight with him", the taller brunet whispered, carefully making it so quiet that Lev wouldn't hear. "You are letting the tiredness kick in." The vice-captain took a deep breath and turned his look back to Lev.  
"Anyhow, I want you to realize that we will find a fitting place for you. You don't need to do anything different from your usual", he said, letting his voice lower from angry snarl to his usual, neutral one. "Every mistake can lead to injuries even easier than in a 'normal' war, so don't do anything reckless, okay?"  
Lev was clearly confused of the sudden change of tone in the vice-captain's voice. "Yep. Right. Sorry if I seemed cocky."  
"No need to apologize", Iwaizumi sighed and turned around. "Let's keep going."  
"Are you always so stiff?" Hanamaki wondered, not getting any response from Iwaizumi. "We are probably about the same age, and so is Oikawa. Why are you the vice-captain? I bet Mattsun has been in the military longer."  
"I doubt that", Oikawa hummed and gazed the two soldiers. "And you just arrived. There's no way you could steal that position from Hajime."  
"Oh? How about he does that anyway?" Hanamaki chuckled. The two were only half serious, so Iwaizumi didn't say anything, neither did Matsukawa. At least they had some kind of sense of humor.  
"I bet Hajime is way more respected here than Mattsun has ever been", Oikawa stated with a chuckle. "Not everything is about how scary you look. Although Hajime looks scary even when he doesn't have the height and majestic eyebrows like you, Mattsun."  
"No way!" Hanamaki laughed. " But I agree that he is scary."  
"You are talking like I wasn't here", Iwaizumi noted and shortly gazed them.  
"Well, let's solve this at once: Mattsun has been in the military for five years. He joined right after his 18th birthday, try and beat that", Hanamaki challenged. "And he hasn't had much vacation from there, he's joined every possible battle there has been in these five years. He was even the team one's captain for two years."  
"Hajime, let me tell them!" Oikawa squealed and jogged to walk next to the vice-captain. "Or you tell, that's more effective, they won't believe me."  
"You are making this sound like a game", Iwaizumi sighed but quickly gave up, tilting his head to the side to make his voice clearer to the soldiers behind him. "Ten years. I joined when I was thirteen, and became the vice-captain four years later."  
"What?" both Matsukawa and Hanamaki aspirated. "No way!"  
"Yup, and I've basically lived in the military since then", Iwaizumi assured. "Right now I don't even have a right to take vacations."  
"Beat that", Oikawa chuckled and winked to the other soldiers. "There's a proper reason for respecting him."  
"But shouldn't that be illegal or something?" Matsukawa stated. "Joining the military and even being the vice-captain under-aged?"  
"Here it is fine, since we need all the power we can get", Iwaizumi explained. "As I told, the Dolls are something else. We are lucky that we have lost only three men this year."  
"But why?" Hanamaki asked. "You don't seem like some kind of aggressive teen who wants to get his hands on a gun as soon as possible, am I right?" A shadow appeared in Iwaizumi's eyes, and Matsukawa nudged Hanamaki's side to make him shut up, clearly realizing that this was a sensitive topic.  
"I didn't have other place to go." Before either one of the talkative soldiers had time to ask any more, Oikawa rushed next to them and clicked his tongue.  
"Now now, are you being bad losers? Enough of this topic", he chuckled, and Iwaizumi was sure he was the only one who could hear the stiffness in the sniper's voice. "So you haven't seen Dolls before, right? Hajime, is it really a good idea to take them to the hunt?"  
"It's Kuroo's order, so there's no use questioning it", Iwaizumi reminded. "We will tell the main things on our way there."  
"So we are fighting against something other than humans?" Matsukawa's voice was confused. "We weren't informed about that."  
"Not surprising", Iwaizumi sighed heavily. "Who would want to fight against something abnormal anyway? They wouldn't get any new soldiers here if they'd go out just like 'Hey, would you mind fighting against unknown creatures that can easily gouge your eyes out?'" He shook his head lightly. "That's why you can still leave. After this day it's not possible."  
"What do you mean?" Lev asked, a hesitating look on his face. "Why can't we leave after this day?"  
"Because then you are a part of this unit and will leave after we have eliminated all the Dolls at the earliest", Iwaizumi said and sighed again. "It's one of the rules I slightly disagree with. You are free to meet with the civilians, but you're not allowed to leave this city or unit. There are many reasons for that. You will understand better when you have made contact with Dolls." The new soldiers gazed each other, and Iwaizumi could feel their confuse and slight nervousness in the air.  
"Iwaizumi!" Stiffness melted from the vice-captain's face when he heard Elysia's bright voice and saw Sugawara's sister running towards him, and the brunet crouched down to pick the girl on his arms.  
"Hi, Elysia", he greeted with a warm voice, giving the girl a soft smile. "How's your day been?"  
"Awesome!" she announced and giggled heartwarmingly. "Yachi is so fun!"  
"I'm glad that you like her", Iwaizumi chuckled.  
"Wow", he heard Hanamaki's voice and turned his head to meet the soldier's eyes. "And I thought you are the definition of stiff. You actually know how to smile?"  
"Don't talk like you've known me for a long time", the vice-captain huffed. "Elysia, this is Hanamaki. The man next to him is Matsukawa, and the third one is Lev. They are our new comrades."  
"It's nice to meet you!" Elysia greeted and bowed, almost falling off from Iwaizumi's embrace. Her laugh clearly made the three soldiers' mood rise, and they smiled to the girl and greeted her.  
"Elysia!" Ennoshita's relieved voice made Iwaizumi turn his head again, and he saw the captain of Eagles run to them. "Thank god you are here. Didn't I tell you to wait for me?" he aspirated.  
"But Iwaizumi was here", Elysia defended herself. "I wanted to talk to him!"  
"I know, I know, but Suga- Koshi would be worried if I wouldn't know where you were", Ennoshita sighed and then turned his attention to Hanamaki, Matsukawa and Lev. "Oh, you must be the new ones. I'm Ennoshita, captain of team five."  
The three introduced themselves, and Iwaizumi gazed his watch. "We should probably start the hunt soon", he said, turning his look back to Ennoshita. "But if you're in charge of watching after Elysia, should we wait for Sugawara to come back?"  
"I don't know if he's going to come back soon", the team captain said and strengthened his words with a shrug. "We should leave her for Kiyoko or Yachi. Bokuto, Akaashi and Shirabu are here already."  
"Right. We'll leave in ten minutes, then. Can you get the others?" Iwaizumi asked. "These three-", he continued, nodding towards Hanamaki, Lev and Matsukawa, "-are coming, too. Can you get radiophones for them? Lev will be in your team, and the other two are Owls."  
"All right", Ennoshita hummed and turned around. "I'll be right back."  
"Hajimeee, don't forget your coffee", Oikawa whined and leaned his right arm on vice-captain's shoulder. "It should still be hot. I swear you're gonna drop dead if you don't drink it."  
"Oh, right", Iwaizumi mumbled. "Well, we can check the kitchen, you three. Elysia, you should probably go to Yachi now." He was going to put the girl back down, but she just wrapped her arms around Iwaizumi's neck.  
"Don't wanna!" she complained. "I can come to the kitchen, too."  
"I guess you can, then", Iwaizumi sighed. "But when we go outside, you have to go to Yachi, okay?"  
"Yup, I promise!"  
"So you're actually just a teddy bear", Hanamaki chuckled and got a poisonous look from Iwaizumi. "I like that. A vice-captain that's good with kids. At least I know you're not the same as our previous leader."  
"What was he like, then?" Iwaizumi asked without looking at him, opening the door to kitchen and walking to the coffee maker after finding a clean cup. "Not a 'teddy bear'?"  
"A black bear would be more matching for him", Matsukawa sighed, joining the conversation. "He was merciless. He even made us kill a bunch of children, just because they were on our enemy's side – if they had side at all." Iwaizumi's shoulders tensed and he put the coffee cup back on the table.  
"Elysia, you really should go now", he said to the girl and put her down.  
"Eeeh?" Elysia whined. "But it hasn't been ten minutes yet!"  
"We are almost going. You should find Yachi now, so you can come back and ask if you can't find her after all", Iwaizumi reasoned, and after the girl had stared at him with a pout on her face for a while, she finally nodded.  
"Okay. But just until you come back from outside!" she said and toddled away after Iwaizumi had thanked her. The vice-captain looked after the girl for a slight while, then turning his look to the three newbies.  
"I'll make one thing clear right from the start", he started with a low voice. "I am against hurting children, yes, but that's exactly what you will have to do. Kill innocent people and kids."  
"What the fuck?" Hanamaki aspirated but was silenced by Oikawa's hand sign.  
"You see, the Dolls aren't aliens or anything like that. It's a disease. When you get bit by a Doll, you become one of them in few minutes. After that you aren't conscious of your actions, you are just an emotionless killing machine. Most of the Dolls haven't done anything wrong before they got bitten. They are just victims of an illness that spreads in this part of the country", Iwaizumi told.  
"Shouldn't we search for a medicine then, rather than killing them?" Matsukawa stated, clearly not satisfied with the situation, while the other two just looked like they didn't understand a thing.  
"We have searched for more than ten years, Matsukawa. It's useless. All we have is a simple antibiotic that can save the victims if the bite happened lass than fifteen minutes ago. There's no other way than killing", Iwaizumi explained carefully and nodded towards Oikawa. "Tooru got the antibiotic roughly a minute too late. His arm had to be amputated. That's why this is different from 'normal' war. We are fighting against humans who act like animals. A single bite can kill you, and you never know who will be your opponent tomorrow."  
"So you're trying to say that we may have to kill children, elders, innocent people – and even out comrades or friends?" Hanamaki looked like he didn't want to believe what he heard. "You must be kidding me."  
"I surely hope that I was", Iwaizumi sighed and took a sip from his coffee. "That's why you are still free to leave. The hunt will show you the real side of this world, and you can make your decision then." He signed the others to follow him when he had finished his coffee, walking back to the hall. "The first thing you learn here is how to ignore who your opponent is. For you, the outsiders, that might not be so necessary, though. For us it is the most important thing in our training. We have friends and family here, but we can't acknowledge that if we want to stay sane." He walked to Ennoshita and took the radiophones from him, thanking with a slight nod. "Here", he threw them to the soldiers. "Put them somewhere you can hear them from. Let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

"Iwaizumi is calling Daishou. Do you hear me?" The line crackled and was silent for a moment.  
"Here I am", a voice from the other end finally answered. "We are tracking a pack of ten Dolls. They're heading to Street 11."  
"Sounds like you will be fine on your own", Iwaizumi noted. "After you are done with them, come to Street 13. We have a pack of roughly forty Dolls here. We'll wait for backup before attacking."  
"Sure, this won't take long" the Snake chuckled and cut off the line. Iwaizumi put the radiophone back on his shoulder, slightly annoyed that Daishou had cut off the line without warning.  
"I didn't like that voice", Hanamaki noted and leaned on his arm. "It sounded brutal." They were sitting next to an old shopping center's parking lot, and Iwaizumi had already told about everything the new soldiers needed to know about Dolls and teams.  
"There's no need to, either", Iwaizumi hummed. "Daishou is the most vicious one of us. He's not the captain of Suicide Squad for nothing."  
"Is he the sadistic one? The one who can't feel pain at all?" Lev asked, furrowing concernedly. "Why is a guy like that here? Shouldn't you kick him out or something if he acts like a scum?"  
"He's the most skilled fighter of us all, that's why we need him", Iwaizumi explained and gazed the tall soldier. Daishou, the captain of team 5, was one of the few soldiers Iwaizumi respected because of fear. As Lev had said, he wasn't able to feel pain and was an absolute sadist – Iwaizumi preferred the word psychopath.  
"Why isn't he in leading position, then?" Hanamaki asked, still leaning on his hand uninterestedly. "If he's that good, I guess he should also be in a position that matches his skills."  
"Are you asking me why we don't have him as our leader?" Iwaizumi huffed and raised his brows. "We would be all dead in an instant, and Daishou would just laugh at that. He isn't sane, Hanamaki. Even the other members of his team seem calm and collective compared to him. Being a captain is more than enough for him."  
"You are scared of him, aren't you?" Hanamaki teased, an anxious tone barely showing from his voice. "So our dear vice-captain has fears, after all."  
"Yes, I'm afraid of him", Iwaizumi admitted without hesitation. "And so should you. If you say a single word against him, your throat is slit open in an instant, no matter if you're his friend or not. On top of that he's pretty sensitive. It's better if you just don't talk to him."  
"You're just kidding, right?" Matsukawa muttered. "That isn't fun at all, Iwaizumi."  
Before the vice-captain could answer, he heard a slight voice from his radiophone and turned the volume up, leaving Matsukawa's question hanging in the air.  
"We're on our way there", Daishou's voice was almost a whistle, and he sounded just as self-conscious as a person possibly could sound. "That was easier than I excepted. You still on the 13th?"  
"Yup, about in the middle", Iwaizumi answered. "Is everything fine?"  
"As always, vice-cap", Daishou chuckled, and Iwaizumi could almost hear the grin in his voice. "They didn't even have time to blink."  
"Stop blabbering nonsense and hurry up", Iwaizumi sighed. "We should get this done before the evening patrol, remember?"  
"I've always hated hurrying." Now Iwaizumi could hear his voice from behind his back as well as from the radiophone. "But here we are." The vice-captain turned his head to see a group of four soldiers walking towards them about ten meters further. Iwaizumi stood up and signed the others do the same.  
"Good to see you all in one piece", the brunet noted and then nodded towards Matsukawa, Hanamaki and Lev. "These three are the new soldiers of our unit. Just so you know who to not shoot right away."  
"That doesn't change a thing, cap", Daishou chuckled and gazed the soldiers. "Opponents are always opponents." All three of the newbies stared at the Snake with widened eyes, and Iwaizumi couldn't blame them about that – Daishou's appearance was nothing like normal soldier's. He had a huge burn scar covering basically the whole left side of his body, and he had even more scars than Iwaizumi did. Despite that, his clothes were almost formal – a classy blouse with spotless black jeans. For a hundredth time Iwaizumi wondered when the soldier even changed his clothes, since there's no way he could have just killed ten Dolls with his team without getting any blood in his clothes.  
"Anyway, I'm Daishou, and this is my squad", the Snake introduced with a slight nod towards his comrades. "You better not get in our way, newbies."  
"Say what?" Hanamaki snarled, but Iwaizumi gave him a strict gaze as a warning. Luckily Daishou decided to ignore the other soldier and just looked through them, letting out a wondering whistle.  
"So, where are the Dolls?" he asked. "We were in a hurry, right?"  
"Behind the last corner", Iwaizumi said. "Akaashi and Shirabu are at their places, so please don't act too recklessly. You'd make it hard for them to aim."  
"Well, it doesn't matter who kills the Dolls, right?" Daishou noted. "But sure, if that's what the vice-captain wants. Plan?"  
"There's none", Iwaizumi sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll mostly leave this to you and our snipers because of these three rookies. We'll get the escaping ones."  
"Clear", Daishou turned to gaze his teammates. "Here we go then, guys!" The four soldiers ran past Iwaizumi and the others, not giving a single look back. Iwaizumi let out a disapproving sigh and then signed the others follow them.  
"So you mostly just watch, okay?" he ensured to the three trainees. "Observe the way Dolls move. That may save your lives someday." All three of them nodded, and Bokuto pulled ahead with Ennoshita to join the battle with team five. The Snakes had already reached the Dolls, opening the gunfire instantly. Iwaizumi signed the rookies to slow down and stay further, while he joined the fight. Iwaizumi took the handguns from his waist and shot a few Dolls that tried to escape from Terushima, another member of the Snakes who was in charge of their antibiotics. Daishou was having the time of his life, stabbing the Dolls mercilessly and skillfully avoiding their bites. Iwaizumi concentrated on getting the escaping ones, checking if anyone of the fighters got bitten. That's exactly what happened: Three Dolls attacked Futakuchi at once, and before the Snake could get them killed, one of them had dug its teeth in his shoulder.  
"Terushima!" Iwaizumi called and hurried to Futakuchi. The other Snake took a syringe from his pocket and threw it to Iwaizumi, who carefully caught it and injected the antibiotic to Futakuchi's shoulder without even saying anything to the soldier, who looked like he wasn't bothered by the wound at all. He nodded quickly to thank the vice-captain and then disappeared back to the middle of Dolls. Iwaizumi put the empty syringe to his pocket and had to jump back to avoid a Doll's claws, and he snatched the gun from his waist and shot the attacker without a second thought. A little voice in the back of his head informed him that it was Tatsumi, the shop owner, but Iwaizumi didn't let himself think about that. The vice-captain was glad that he was quick enough to avoid the attack, since his reflexes were quite slow because of the lack of sleep. Iwaizumi turned around and shot a Doll that was running away from Tanaka, then backing away a little to leave the rest to Bokuto, Ennoshita and team five. The Snakes really were effective soldiers – almost all of the forty Dolls were already dead. Iwaizumi thanked his luck that they weren't as aggressive as some Dolls were. In fact, his chest felt tight when he watched the Dolls struggling to get away from here, trying to stay alive and hide. This looked so one-sided.  
The slaughter lasted less than Iwaizumi had thought. Only one or two Dolls were able to escape, the others were laying on the ground as motionless, lifeless corpses. Ennoshita had sprained his ankle, but that was the worse injury any of the soldiers had had, and Iwaizumi was thankful about that. If the Dolls would have been aggressive, the result would have been completely different.  
"I guess we should clean up, then", Iwaizumi sighed. One of the parts in his job he hated the most was burying the corpses. There was no way they wouldn't identify the people they had just killed when they had to bury them. "Daishou, don't you dare say that you left the other ten just laying there and we have to get them, too."  
Then I won't say it, but that's exactly the case", the Snake chuckled.  
"Absolutely filthy", Hanamaki mumbled quietly, but for his misfortune his voice was loud enough for Daishou to hear.  
"Oh? Did you say something?" the Snake hissed and walked to the other soldier. "Filthy, was it? Care to repeat that?" He had his knife in hand, teasingly scratching Hanamaki's chin with it.  
"You should help if you're part of this unit", Hanamaki stated, ignoring Iwaizumi's warning look. "You killed the most of them, so you should also clean it up." He winced when Daishou twitched the knife, leaving a long scratch in his chin.  
"Daishou, back up", Iwaizumi snapped and shoved the Snake further from Hanamaki. "In fact, he is right. I, Matsukawa, Lev and Hanamaki should go back already so we won't be late from the patrol. Could you clean this up – at least this time?" The Snake squinted, clearly unamused of the interruption.  
"And why should we do that? I don't have any intentions to follow that Cat's orders", he stated, referring to Kuroo, and wiped a splat of blood from his cheek with his palm. "You can just start the patrol later."  
"Because you are part of this unit, wanted it or not", Iwaizumi reminded and crossed his arms. "And those knives and guns belong to the military. If you still want to use them, you'll follow Kuroo's orders." The vice-captain took a slow breath, trying to keep his voice cool and not think what Daishou could do if he snapped. "I know you don't normally do this, but just this time, alright? Stop acting like a punk. Show us some pride, Daishou." The Snake was rolling his knife with his fingers, face turned in an unamused gurn. He sighed overdramatically and put the knife back on his waist.  
"Fine. Just this time. And just because it's you asking, not that other Cat. We can just burn the corpses, right? That should be fun", he snarled, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
"Thank you", Iwaizumi nodded in relief. "Ennoshita will come with us, since he sprained his ankle, but Bokuto, Shirabu and Akaashi will help you."  
"Whatever", Daishou grunted and walked past the vice-captain. "You were in a hurry, right? Go on, then."  
"Alright", Iwaizumi aspirated softly and turned to the rookies. "Let's go. You okay, Hanamaki?"  
"Yup, it's just a scratch", the soldier mumbled, throwing a poisonous gaze to Daishou. "But hey, vice-cap, what should we do to those kiddos?" he asked and beckoned towards the corner of the school nearby. Iwaizumi turned his head there and saw three people, one of them being painfully familiar: Maria, Tatsumi's daughter. She was visibly shaking and stared the corpse of her father, while the other kid tried to comfort her. The third one wasn't really a kid, he was probably only few years younger than Iwaizumi.  
"Hey, you three", Matsukawa called. "You okay?" The oldest one wrapped his arms around the two girls like he was afraid of the soldiers, not answering anything.  
"We won't do anything to you", Matsukawa promised. "Do you live nearby? You shouldn't be here, it's not safe."  
"Maria", Iwaizumi aspirated quietly. "Oh my god. Why are you…" He couldn't make himself to end the sentence. He had just killed the little girl's father in front of her.  
"You know them?" Matsukawa asked, but Bokuto signed him to be quiet. Maria's eyes were wide open and she stared at Iwaizumi.  
"Iwaizumi", she finally sobbed. "Papa… Papa is…"  
"I know, dear. Come here", Iwaizumi crouched down and spread his arms, just hoping that Maria hadn't seen her father's death. Maria stood up and ran to Iwaizumi before the man next to him could stop her, wrapping her arms tight around Iwaizumi's shoulders. The vice-captain stood up with the girl in his embrace, rubbing his hand in smooth circles on her back. Maria cried, cried from the bottom of her small heart, unable to speak anything. Iwaizumi kept comforting her, feeling a tightening feeling in his chest. This was so wrong. He was comforting her because of a loss he had caused. It felt incredibly wrong and fake, like he was taking the part of the hero after destroying a little girl's life. But Iwaizumi didn't know what else he could have done.  
"You two, come with us", Iwaizumi called the other kid and a man with her. "We need to talk." The other kid, maybe 15-year-old girl, was instantly on her legs and hurried to Iwaizumi, while all the man could do was to follow her. Iwaizumi gazed the other soldiers.  
"We'll keep going, then. Lev, help Ennoshita with walking. Bo, finish things here and come back to the headquarters then", the vice-captain said to the captain of team two.  
"Sure", Bokuto agreed with a quiet voice, nodding slightly.  
"No no no!" Maria cried when Iwaizumi turned away and Terushima raised Tatsumi's corpse to move it to the school backyard to be burned. "Papa! Don't take Papa away!" Iwaizumi gritted his teeth and kept the struggling girl still, closing his eyes when the girl kept screaming. "No! Give him back!"  
They walked in silence, the only voice being Maria's uncontrollable sobbing. After few minutes the girl's voice got quieter, and a moment after she fell asleep.  
"How could you?" the man walking next to the vice-captain spat right after he noticed Maria wouldn't hear. "You killed him. Don't think that I didn't see."  
"I know that very well", Iwaizumi sighed. "I don't like this either, you know. She just needed someone to comfort her. Are you her friends?"  
"No, we just happened to see her alone after her father got shot", the man snarled, voice full of poison.  
"He was a Doll. There's no helping it", Iwaizumi noted. "Where do you live?"  
"We are orphans", the man snapped. "We don't have a home. And you just got this girl in the same situation."  
"Tell me then, what I should've done?" Iwaizumi huffed. "Let him live and kill his daughter? Do you even know what the Dolls are like?"  
The man fell silent and turned his look away. "It's still not right", he muttered.  
"Of course it isn't, but it's the only way to stay alive", Iwaizumi admitted and gazed the man. "I'm amazed that you two are still fine, actually. If you live on the streets, there's a high possibility to get killed by a Doll."  
"I know that", the man mumbled. "Natsu and I have been here for five years now. Our mother left us here after our father died. Guess we were too troublesome children." He laughed awkwardly. "I'm Hinata Shoujo, by the way. Your name was Iwaizumi?"  
"Yup", the vice-captain nodded. "I have a request for you, Shoujo. What would you say if you'd take Tatsumi's – Maria's father's – place as the shop keeper?"  
"Me?" the man aspirated, staring at Iwaizumi with wide eyes.  
"Yes. It would be a shame if the shop would become abandoned, and Maria needs someone to take care of her anyway", Iwaizumi reasoned. "The building is completely fine, so you wouldn't have to fear the Dolls there."  
"Su-sure", Shoujo blabbered. "Are you certain about this? Isn't it illegal to take over someone's house like that?"  
"This place doesn't have laws anymore", Iwaizumi sighed. "Our top priority is to keep this city somehow alive. All you may see is abandoned buildings, but people who have always lived here know the story of each empty house and shop. Tatsumi's place is the last one that sells clothes. We can't let that shop die."  
"I understand", Shoujo mumbled. "What do you say, Natsu?"  
"Everything is better than streets", the girl answered without a single hesitation. "We'll get a home, bro! Isn't that awesome?"  
The orange-haired man smiled to his sister and nodded slightly in agreement. "You are right. Okay, Iwaizumi, we'll take care of the shop. And Maria", he added and glanced the sleeping girl.  
"That's good to hear", Iwaizumi chuckled. "I'll give her to you, then." He had to bend his knees a bit, because – for once – the other man was way shorter than him. "It's on the Street 15, the Strangford Avenue. You have to go to the next street, turn right at the end of it and walk roughly hundred meters. The shop is the fifth building on that street, it's quite small, yellow house that has a dark roof. You can't be mistaken."  
"Guess we'll be going, then", Shoujo hummed, swaying Maria back and forth smoothly to keep the girl asleep. "Iwaizumi… Do you really need to do this? Isn't there any other way to get rid of the disease?"  
"I'm afraid there isn't", Iwaizumi said, voice apologetic and upset. "If we ever find one, we will use it, I can promise that."  
Shoujo nodded slightly and gazed his sister. "Let's go, Natsu", he said softly and turned his look back to Iwaizumi. "I don't know if I should thank you or not."  
"You don't need to", the vice-captain assured. "Just go before it gets dark." The orange-haired man nodded again and turned around, putting his free hand on his sister's back to gently push her to move. He was holding Maria with his other arm, and Iwaizumi was amazed that a small and thin man like Shoujo could carry the girl with one arm. The vice-captain watched how the siblings walked away from them, Natsu looking back once in a while, Shoujo not even giving a single glance.  
"Iwaizumi, are you sure that you can trust them with Maria?" Ennoshita asked carefully. "You just met them."  
"I'm sure that Shoujo will take good care of her", Iwaizumi said confidently. "He has a little sister, after all. I think he will treat Maria just as well as he treats Natsu. And judging by how Natsu behaved, he is a good brother. I trust them completely."  
"He really didn't spare the curse words while describing you, though", Hanamaki laughed shortly. "I'm amazed that you can still trust him when he literally hates all of us."  
"He wasn't wrong with anything he said", Iwaizumi noted and started walking again, signing the others to follow. "I'm just worried of how Maria will react when she wakes up. I hope Shoujo can deal with it."  
"I think he will be fine", Matsukawa stated and shrugged slightly. "He looked like a shrimp, but he sure had a strong mind." Iwaizumi heard how Lev uttered a short laughter when Matsukawa said 'shrimp', but the vice-captain ignored that and nodded for Matsukawa's words.  
"I hope so."  
They walked in silence, and Iwaizumi noticed he stayed just barely awake. After the tenseness of the fight had faded, his limbs started to feel the weight of the lack of sleep. The vice-captain rubbed his eyes with his palms and sighed quietly. Just a short patrol left today. He would be fine. Iwaizumi gazed to the side when he saw something moving there, and he signed the others to stay still when he noticed a dog roughly ten meters from them.  
"A dog?" Lev aspirated. "How cute! Are stray dogs common here, Iwaizumi?"  
"Fairly, yes", the vice-captain mumbled and squinted to see the dog better. "But I think that's not a stray dog." It was a German Shepherd with a light blue collar on its neck. "It has to be Sam's dog", Iwaizumi said. "A civilian from Street 9. He told that their dog disappeared, and I think this one is it." The brunet crouched down and whistled a little. "Wanda. Come here, Wanda", he called softly. He didn't look the dog in the eyes so it wouldn't feel pressured. "Come here, girl. Mark misses you."  
"Iwaizumi, weren't we in a hurry?" Matsukawa reminded carefully.  
"I promised to bring Wanda back if I saw her", the vice-captain sighed. "There's no helping it. We can take her to the headquarters and bring her back to Sam after the patrol."  
The dog walked slowly towards them, and when it was only a few meters away, it let out a low growl, showing its teeth and bending its back. Iwaizumi gazed the dog and flinched slightly. Wanda's eyes weren't normal. They were Doll's eyes.  
"Back up!" he aspirated to the other soldiers and quickly stood up. Wanda reacted to the sudden movement and let out a loud gnarl, attacking Iwaizumi with incredible speed. The vice-captain wasn't quick enough to take his gun from his waist, and the dog dug its teeth in his arm, tearing his shirt apart with its claws. Iwaizumi gritted his teeth in sudden pain and lost his balance, falling on his back with the dog clinging in his arm.  
"Don't move!" Hanamaki snapped, and a slight moment after that a bullet ripped through Wanda's head just a few inches from Iwaizumi, and the dog fell to the ground, not letting out a single sound anymore. The vice-captain wiped the blood that splattered on his face to his shirt and quickly sat up, hurrying to check the dog.  
"Are you okay?" Ennoshita aspirated with a shocked tone in his voice. Iwaizumi didn't answer and kept observing the corpse of the dog, checking its eyes and teeth and gums.  
"Fuck", he breathed out. "What the hell?" The dog really had been a Doll. "Ennoshita, it's a Doll."  
"What?" the Eagle took a sharp breath. "It has effect on animals too?" Iwaizumi left the question without answer again, mind racing and eyes wide open. This whole time they had thought that the disease affected only humans. Not a single animal had gotten a contagion in these ten years.  
"This is bad", the brunet mumbled and stood up. "This is really bad." He snatched the radiophone from his shoulder and connected it to Kuroo's. "Kuroo, do you hear me? To the headquarters. Now. This is serious. We are there in five minutes, you better be there then too." Without waiting for an answer he cut the connection off and put the radiophone back on his shoulder.  
"Hold up a minute", Ennoshita muttered and limped to him, injecting an antibiotic in the vice-captain's shoulder. "Luckily Terushima gave this to me just in case. If it really was a Doll, you need this. And stay still a bit, you're bleeding." The Eagle took his scarf off and wrapped it around Iwaizumi's arm to cover the wound. "The ones in your side aren't that bad, so you can deal with them later. Let's go. Matsukawa, can you carry the dog? Kiyoko should check it out."  
"What are you panicking about?" Hanamaki asked, clearly confused. "It's just a dog."  
"Never in these ten years have I seen an animal that's a Doll", Iwaizumi mumbled and ran his hand in his hair nervously. "Not even once. And if that disease really affects animals, too... It will start spreading like a wildfire if any stray dog has it. The civilians aren't afraid of the stray dogs since they have never attacked people, so they don't realize to be cautious of animals. That dead man we saw in the morning patrol must have been killed by a Doll animal. This is really bad." He took a deep breath to keep his thoughts clear. "Kuroo will know what we have to do."  
"I'm surprised that you still have faith in him", Ennoshita noted. "He hasn't been really friendly to you lately."  
"He's our leader, no matter how he treats his vice-captain", Iwaizumi reminded. "There's a reason he's in charge of this unit. He's smart and maybe has some information regarding this – or rather something we could use to get rid of the animal Dolls."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So what is it?" Kuroo's voice reached Iwaizumi's ears right away when they arrived to the headquarters. "What happened?" He wasn't even trying to open the conversation with his usual jokes and nonsense, and that itself told that he took the situation seriously.  
"This dog-", Iwaizumi beckoned the German Shepherd in Matsukawa's arms, "-is a Doll. The disease has effect on animals." He neither tried to sugarcoat the situation, taking it just as seriously as Kuroo did. The leader stared at his vice-captain with wide eyes, and Iwaizumi would have felt amused of his face if the situation would have been lighter.  
"You must be kidding me", Kuroo mumbled and ruffled his already messy hair. "It has been ten years without any marks of the illness in animals, and now? You sure?"  
"You can shoot me if I'm wrong", Iwaizumi huffed. "The civilians don't know this. We should warn them so they know to avoid the stray dogs."  
"Yes, yes, that's an easy thing to do", Kuroo's voice was still low and slightly confused. "Was this the only one? You didn't see other animal Dolls?"  
"No, we didn't", Iwaizumi noted. "If we are lucky, there isn't any more of them, but I doubt that."  
"The main problem here is that it is possible for animals to get a contagion, yes", Kuroo agreed. "The animals can spread it even more than humans. We need to get rid of them somehow. Take that dog to Kiyoko, she will check it", he said to Matsukawa, who nodded and walked to the medics with Hanamaki. Kuroo was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking something. "Cancel all the plans for tomorrow and tell everyone to be here at 7am. We will hunt them down at once."  
"Clear", Iwaizumi tilted his head a little bit. "But how are you going to inform the civilians? You said it's an 'easy thing to do', so I assume you have some other plan than going on foot?"  
"Yup, I just hope that it still works", Kuroo sighed. "It hasn't been used in fifteen years, after all. You were eight then, right? Do you remember the accident with the gas station?"  
"The loudspeakers", Iwaizumi realized, not even bothering to ask how Kuroo knew this all if he hadn't grown up in this town. "They still work?"  
"As I said, I hope so", Kuroo noted and shrugged slightly. "It's the easiest way to reach everyone. There are speakers in every shop and house, after all. I will inform the civilians about this threat and tell them to stay at their houses tomorrow." He squinted a little. "And you should go to treat that wound, you are getting pale."  
Iwaizumi's brows rose in surprise. "What an unusual show of care from you", he noted. "But I guess you are right. The scarf doesn't help much."  
"Then we are clear for now. Tomorrow, 7am", Kuroo repeated and walked past his vice-captain, the troubled gurn not fading from his face. Iwaizumi took a step forward, but sudden wave of nauseous feeling made him stall.  
"Shit", he mumbled and leaned his hand on the wall, gripping his head with the wounded one. His mind was spinning and when he gazed the scarf around his arm, he noticed it was soaked in blood.  
"Seems like it's deeper than I thought", the brunet sighed to himself and walked to the medics' room with slow paces, trying to keep his mind in one piece. He had successfully kept the pain in his arm out of his mind, but now he couldn't feel anything else.  
"Takeda!" the brunet called when he saw the medic. "Can you check my arm? The wound might be deeper than I thought."  
"Wound? You are injured?" the man aspirated and hurried to the vice-captain, face turning into a concerned frown. "Sit down. Do you feel nauseous?"  
"Yup", Iwaizumi mumbled after sitting down on a chair. "I feel nauseous and tired."  
"Stay awake for a while", Takeda ordered and carefully took the scarf off. "It's still bleeding. What happened? This doesn't look like a Doll's bite."  
"A dog", Iwaizumi murmured and leaned his head on his hand, trying to keep his eyes open. "It was a Doll. Looks like the disease affects also animals."  
"For real?" Takeda mumbled partly to himself. "That's the last thing we needed." He fell silent and turned his eyes to Iwaizumi's face after observing the wound for a while. "Iwaizumi, have you been eating and sleeping properly? A wound like this shouldn't have so strong effect on you, you can usually stand blood loss way better."  
"I haven't really slept in past two days", Iwaizumi sighed. "And I lastly ate in the morning if I don't count the coffee I had before the hunt. I've had too much things to do to eat." His voice was becoming unclear, and he just hoped that Takeda could make sense of his words.  
"You really should take care of yourself, you know?" Takeda sighed. "Hey, stay awake. I think this needs to be stitched." He said something else, but that didn't reach Iwaizumi's ears. The vice-captains head dipped as he lost strength from his muscles, and his eyelids dropped shut. He could barely feel his shoulder being shaken, but after that he fell to the unknown darkness, to the home of nightmares.


	13. Chapter 13

All he could do was stare. The stink of blood made his stomach turn and head spin, but the worst feeling was the knob in his throat. His legs finally gave up, and the boy fell on his knees to the ground. He couldn't turn his look away from his mother's eyes, feeling the dead gaze melting his remaining sanity away. Suddenly he heard a loud gunshot, and the Doll gnawing his father's arm fell to the ground, blood flowing from its head. Iwaizumi didn't even bother to think where the shot came from when he struggled to get back on his feet and staggered to his mother's corpse.  
"Mom", he uttered a hoarse sound. "Mom, please wake up. You can't be dead, you can't!" He shook the woman's shoulder, not getting any response from the cold body. "Lily! Amy! Say something!" the boy pleaded and dragged himself closer to his sisters, not finding any strength to stand up again. His chest felt tight and he couldn't breathe properly, the breaths being hasty and sharp. "What the hell?" he whimpered and grabbed his head with his both hands. "You were supposed to follow me! Dad said that he would save you!" His thoughts were sticking together and he felt himself weak and helpless. The blood had stained his jeans and shirt, and he couldn't escape the sickening, metallic small all around him. "He said you all would be okay!"  
"Hey, I found a survivor!" Iwaizumi flinched when he heard a sudden voice from behind him and felt a hand grab his shoulder, and the boy quickly turned around to slap the hand away. The intruder, however, seemed to be expecting this kind of action, and gripped Iwaizumi's wrist before he could hit him.  
"Now now, that's something you should not do", the man chuckled, and now Iwaizumi recognized the soldier uniform. "I killed that Doll and saved you, after all."  
"Taki, you are scaring him", another soldier hurried to them. "Let him go."  
"As you wish, cap", the soldier called Taki sighed and loosened his grip of Iwaizumi's wrist enough for the boy to snatch his hand away from him. "I suppose these are your relatives, eh, boy?" Iwaizumi had a deep frown on his face and he stared the soldier, searching for a way to get out of here as quickly as possible. The shock had temporarily been covered by suspicion and coldness, and the boy refused to think of the corpses behind him.  
"Give me a break", the other soldier huffed and shoved Taki's shoulder to make the other man lose his balance. "You can't ask things like that. Hey, boy, are you okay? You injured? Did the Dolls bite you?"  
The sudden flood of concerned questions made Iwaizumi confused, and he just shook his head to answer the last of them. The man let out a relived sigh and crouched down to meet Iwaizumi's eyes.  
"I'm Ukai Keishin, and this dork here is called Takinoue. We are soldiers from the local unit. What's your name and who are you?" he asked with a calm, soothing voice. Iwaizumi gritted his teeth, trying to make up his mind. He had avoided soldiers all his life, and even when he knew he should just do as his father said and tell the soldiers who he was, he found it incredibly difficult. It felt like he would somehow betray his sisters and mother if he told the truth.  
"Hajime", he finally murmured. "Iwaizumi." A sudden realization flashed in Takinoue's eyes.  
"Matt's kid?" the soldier aspirated. "So is this…" He stood up and hurried to Iwaizumi's father's corpse. "Fuck. It really is Matt, Keishin. And the Doll is Akaizawa." A shadow appeared on Ukai's face, and he gazed Iwaizumi with concerned eyes.  
"I'm sorry, Hajime. I don't know why your father wasn't able to defend himself and the others against the Doll, but that doesn't really matter. I really am sorry that this happened."  
"Dad didn't want to shoot his friends", Iwaizumi murmured and turned his look away from Ukai, eyes staring blankly ahead.  
"Oh, I see. Matt was like that", Ukai sighed. "I'm sorry if this is still too sudden, but could you tell who the other victims are?" Iwaizumi tried to swallow the lump crawling up his throat, and he quickly gazed the soldier.  
"Mom", he whispered. "And Amy and Lily. My sisters." The only reason that he could keep speaking and not break apart was that he was able to ignore the sickening smell of blood when he was talking.  
"What were you doing outside, anyway?" Takinoue asked. "And where is your jacket? You are clearly freezing."  
"I gave it to Lily", Iwaizumi murmured and wrapped his arms around his knees, slightly flinching to the sudden pain in his leg. "I don't know where it is now."  
Ukai observed his facial expression carefully, then sighing heavily and standing up. "Looks like you have a wound in your leg. And it would probably be not a good idea to leave you here by yourself anyway. We'll take you to our unit. Is that okay?"  
"What the hell, captain?" Takinoue aspirated. "Taking a kid to the headquarters? Is that even legal?"  
"You know as well as I do that laws are our smallest problem here", Ukai snapped. "This wound needs to be treated. Or are you intending to leave this kid here to die?"  
"No, of course not", the other soldier murmured and shrugged. "Fine. I just don't know how the boss will react." Suddenly Iwaizumi felt a piece of cloth on his shoulders. "Take that. You'll freeze otherwise." Iwaizumi's shoulders tensed when he recognized his mother's jacket, and the brunet wrapped it tightly around himself, trying to hold back the tears that were forcing their way to his eyes.  
"It's okay", Ukai said softly. "Let it out. It's okay to cry." The next exhale came out as a sob, and before Iwaizumi could even try avoiding it, he was crying. His shoulders were shaking in time with uncontrollable sobs, and he buried his face in the jacket. He was not used to crying, he had never before lost his calm in front of strangers. But now he couldn't stop the tears from streaming from his eyes. He felt a hand rubbing his back in smooth circles, trying to comfort him. Slowly Iwaizumi could get a hold of the sobs, feeling a lump in his throat slowly fading away when he found a proper pace for breathing again. 

"Hajime, wake up." Iwaizumi could feel a sting in his arm, and he opened his eyes slightly.  
"What the fuck, Tooru, always waking me up?" he mumbled but needed to swallow half of his words because of a tight feeling in his throat. He could still smell the blood and feel the tears tingling in his eyes, and he quickly turned his face away from Oikawa.  
"You were sleeping restlessly again", the sniper said carefully. "So I thought that it would be the best to just wake you up, since you wouldn't get any energy from that kind of sleep."  
Iwaizumi took a deep breath and swallowed the knob in his throat before turning his look back to Oikawa. "Well, thank you then. You are quite right, I don't feel refreshed at all." He looked around while sitting up and noticed that he was in the medics' room. "Why am I here?"  
"You passed out when Take-chan was trying to treat your wound", Oikawa explained and gave him a worried half-smile. "It's stitched now. You slept surprisingly heavily despite the restlessness, you didn't even wake up to the stitching." He frowned and leaned on his hand, keeping the eye-contact with the other brunet. "Take-chan said that you should take better care of yourself. You passed out because of the lack of sleep and energy, blood loss and dehydration", the sniper sighed. "This is getting serious, Hajime. It's only been a few days, and you are in this state. You are overworking yourself."  
Iwaizumi didn't answer or look at the sniper. He was deep in his thoughts regarding the dream he had. Shivers went down his spine as he tried to forget the disgusting smell of blood. He leaned on his hands and closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from shaking.  
"...Hajime?" Oikawa's voice started to sound really worried. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing", the vice-captain answered instantly. "Nothing's wrong. I just..." He frowned as he didn't find the right words, and sighed heavily. "Dreams", he stated shortly.  
"You shouldn't think about them", Oikawa noted. "Do you think that you would be able to sleep now? Maybe the dreams will let you be for now."  
"I don't have time", Iwaizumi mumbled. "Has the patrol already left?"  
"No, since I am still here", Oikawa chuckled but got serious before continuing: "Take-chan said that you shouldn't go. You really need to rest."  
"I'll rest after the patrol", Iwaizumi stated. "I'm not allowed to take breaks, remember? Kuroo won't-"  
"No one gives a shit what you are allowed to do or not!" Oikawa suddenly snapped and surprised Iwaizumi completely. "This is about your health. You will never recover if you keep going like this! You may think that two days without sleep is nothing to you, and normally it wouldn't be, but you are under so much stress that you are straining yourself. Don't you remember what happened last time? You will die if you keep going like this." Iwaizumi saw clearly that the sniper was fighting back the tears. "You don't need to prove anything. Please stop."  
Iwaizumi blinked twice, unable to meet the other soldier's eyes. "I'm sorry that I make you worry about me", he murmured. "But you don't understand. I need to do my work if I want to stay here." He regretted his words right after he had ended his sentence.  
"Wait, I thought you were 'safe' since you are the vice-captain", Oikawa noted, looking confused. "Has something happened? Hajime, look at me. Did Kuroo say something to you?"  
"You are sounding like a concerned old woman", Iwaizumi huffed and shortly gazed his teammate.  
"Don't avoid the question", Oikawa sighed. "What did he say?"  
"It's none of your business."  
"It is!" Oikawa insisted and put his hands on Iwaizumi's knees to turn the vice-captain's attention fully to him. "Tell me, Hajime. Why are you acting like this? You said a few days ago that Kuroo won't fire you no matter what you do. What happened?"  
"Get your hand away from me, it's freezing cold. It's not a big deal, he just doesn't like me", Iwaizumi tried his best to get away from the situation without needing to tell about the conversation he had with his leader, but Oikawa wasn't going to give up that easily.  
"You are making me concerned, Hajime", the sniper sighed. "Why can't you tell me? I will keep the secret, but I want to help you. What. Did. He. Say?"  
"I told you, it's nothing serious as long as I do my work well", Iwaizumi insisted, but finally gave up when Oikawa stared him right in the eyes with his usual pout on his face, not buying anything the vice-captain said. "Okay, fine. Kuroo said that he wants to get rid of me. He doesn't like that I am so 'soft' and 'give the soldiers reasonless vacations'. He doesn't want to fire me, because he thinks I'm too popular among the soldiers - they wouldn't follow him if he'd just kick me out without a proper reason. So he tries to turn the soldiers against me. He gives me jobs that he knows are difficult to me, reminds me about my past in every single conversation we have, and gives me too much work", Iwaizumi explained, since he knew it would be better to just tell everything at once. "That's why I can't skip patrols. He would turn that against me in a blink of an eye."  
"That guy is even more of a shithead than I thought", Oikawa hissed after a short unbelieving silence. "But seriously, Hajime, your health should be more important. You just… You know, should find a way to show Kuroo that you are the best vice-captain he could ever have. That way isn't overworking yourself. Even you have the point of breaking, and Kuroo is just waiting for it. So you shouldn't do as he pleases. You should show him that you can manage the work he gives for you and take care of yourself at the same time. Straining yourself doesn't help anything."  
"You are the last person I need to hear that from", Iwaizumi sighed and leaned back a bit. "Okay, Tooru, I will be more careful. I will take proper care of my health, but I will attend that patrol. I will not skip it." Oikawa stared at him for a while without saying anything.  
"The only reason I agree with this is because you got at least a little amount of sleep just now", the sniper finally said. "And because you are my vice-captain and I'm in the same patrol anyway so I can keep an eye on you. Just don't do anything hasty, okay?"  
"As you say, mom", Iwaizumi sneered and stood up from the bed. "We'll be going then." The sudden standing up made a nauseous feeling in his stomach come back, but he didn't show it in any way. He'd just walk it off.  
"The others are already outside", Oikawa said. "Daichi, Sugawara and the rookies, right?"  
"Yup", Iwaizumi nodded and cursed his luck. The patrol was a complete overacting mom-squad. The vice-captain snatched his jacket from the chair seatback and put it on, carefully avoiding the wound. The stitches were neat and skillfully done, and Iwaizumi supposed that Takeda had injected some anesthetic in his arm since he only felt arbitrary stings around the wound.  
"Oh, I thought that you wouldn't come", Daichi noted when Oikawa and Iwaizumi reached the other patrol members. "Feeling alright?"  
"Yep, no need to worry", Iwaizumi assured. "Sorry that I'm late. We're supposed to check Street 3. Luckily it's close, so we still have enough time before the dark." It was quite dim already, but their eyes got used to the dusk quickly. "Lev and Matsukawa, keep an eye on the left side. Oikawa and Suga, the right. Hanamaki, the back. Daichi and I will guard the front. Daichi and Hanamaki will be the ones to shoot if necessary."  
"Strict", Hanamaki mumbled quietly.  
"In the evening it has to be like this", Iwaizumi stated and started to lead the patrol towards Street 3. "Dolls are active in the dark, and we have to be even more careful than usual. Especially with the guns. It's not unusual for someone to shoot their comrade in the dark when there are Dolls nearby and the pressure is strong."  
"Thanks for the encouragement." Iwaizumi ignored Hanamaki's sarcastic sigh and kept his eyes looking forward. Normally he would have given the task of guarding the back for two soldiers, but now he didn't trust his own eyes enough to move Daichi to the back. The rookies didn't notice that since they didn't know the norms yet, but Iwaizumi could easily feel three concerned looks on his skin. Luckily none of them said anything, clearly knowing what this was about. The vice-captain didn't feel good, nothing even near that, and he could just hope that they would return to the headquarters before he'd pass out. 


	14. Chapter 14

"You shouldn't have done that", Oikawa stated when they arrived to the headquarters after a calm patrol. "Attending the patrol. You look dead."  
"I always look dead", Iwaizumi sighed. "I'm completely fine, Tooru. Just a little tired."  
"No, not just a little", Oikawa huffed. "Your steps are so heavy that you'd wake even Kuroo up. Your eyes look empty and foggy, and you keep sighing. Go to bed."  
"Just a few more things", Iwaizumi stated and gazed his teammate. "Then the day is over. Really, Tooru, stop pampering me. I need to ask if the rookies want to stay here or not."  
"I'll come with you, then", Oikawa sighed. "Just to make sure that you won't pass out somewhere. For real, Hajime, I-"  
"I told you to stop pampering me!" Iwaizumi suddenly snapped. "Stop following me everywhere! I'm seriously tired of your overacting. I need to do my job, so leave me alone." Even when the first thing Iwaizumi could see in Oikawa's look was utter shock, he could see a small glimpse of relief in those dark brown eyes.  
"I see", he murmured quietly. "At least you still have short temper. I guess I don't need to worry, then, if you really will go to sleep after talking to the trainees. See ya", he waved a partly sorrowful goodbye and walked out of the room, not giving a single glance behind.  
"What the fuck did that mean?" Iwaizumi huffed to himself. His head was suddenly aching, and the vice-captain let out a pained sigh. The regret was taking over is mind in instant. Why did he yell at Oikawa like that? It was true that he was being quite annoying, but he just tried to help. There was no reason to get angry at him. "Nevermind", Iwaizumi exhaled a quiet sigh under his breath and walked to the coach, reaching his hand to the documents that were on the table next to it. He had left them there before the hunt, and he thanked his luck they were still there. Although he didn't question any of the soldiers' loyalty, leaving important documents laying around was careless.  
"Matsukawa, Hanamaki and Lev!" he called and turned around. The three rookies were there in no time, and they lined up in front of him.  
"I need your answers now", Iwaizumi said calmly. "Will you stay here or will I destroy these documents of you and pretend you've never even been here?"  
"You make it sound so harsh", Hanamaki chuckled. "But no worries, vice-cap, I'm not intending to give more work for you. I'm staying."  
"Same here", Matsukawa assured and grinned slightly. "There's no way I could turn back now." Iwaizumi nodded in relief and turned his look to Lev, who seemed somehow uncomfortable.  
"Umm", he blabbered. "I'm not… sure. It's not because of the Dolls. It's just…" He fell quiet for a moment, clearly trying to find the right words. "Are we really not allowed to leave or visit anyone outside of the city?"  
"Yes, you are not", Iwaizumi admitted. "You will stay here until the job is done. You can visit the civilians in this city and meet others if they come here, but you aren't allowed to leave this city."  
Lev let out a disapproving sound and scratched his head. "Guess I'll go with that, then. Although I don't know if they'll like visiting a city full of Dolls." The words were unclear and the soldier was probably just talking to himself, but he caught Iwaizumi's attention.  
"You have relatives outside of the city?"  
"My mother and siblings live quite far away from here", Lev laughed shortly and shrugged. "That can't be helped, though."  
"You shouldn't stay here then", Iwaizumi stated and made the soldier's look turn confused.  
"It's okay as I said, they can visit here or then I'll just do my job here and go back to them then", the grey-haired man said and tilted his head.  
"I won't keep you here if you have a family outside of the city", the vice-captain noted and turned his gaze to the soldier. "This is not a joke, Lev. You'll most probably die here. The most of us will. I will not keep here a soldier who still has strong bonds with their family. It only causes harm."  
"I will not cause any harm!" Lev insisted. "I thought this was my decision? I will be fine, Iwaizumi, I really will."  
Iwaizumi stared at the soldier for a while, observing every bit of his expression with his tired eyes. "You will regret it", he stated shortly. "You will regret those words when you lay on the ground, blood flowing from your wounds, hoping that you could see your family just once more. But that isn't my problem." He turned his look back to the documents. "If you really want to stay, there's nothing I can do." He put the papers back to the table and turned to look at the three. "You were asked to prepare your belongings you brought here. Are those them?" He nodded towards a pile of different kind of things, from toothbrush to laptops.  
"Most of them are Lev's, though", Hanamaki quickly verified.  
"Doesn't matter", Iwaizumi murmured and walked to a cupboard in the corner of the room, next to his office's door. "You'll have to throw most of them away. They should fit in a box like this", he took a wooden box from the shelf and showed it to the rookies. "You can keep your toothbrushes in the bathroom, your phone wherever you want and clothes in the dressing room, but everything you don't need in your daily life goes here. You'll get them back when you retire or leave for some other reason. These belongings will be given to your relatives if you die here."  
"Strict", Hanamaki whispered under his breath. Iwaizumi had lost count how many times the soldier had said that.  
"So I'll need to throw away my laptop?" Lev aspirated. "There's no way I'm doing that."  
"You can send them to your familiars", Iwaizumi told. "We don't have enough room here to let the soldiers have all the things they want. And you'll not need it anyway, you won't have time to use it."  
"Guess I'll be sending it, then", the tall man muttered.  
"Here are the boxes", the vice-captain hummed and threw the light wood boxes to the three. "Hurry up."  
Matsukawa was done in no time, Hanamaki just a little bit slower than his friend, but Lev struggled with his decisions for quite long. Finally he had picked the things he wanted to save, leaving the others in the corner.  
"Do you keep these in the cupboard?" Matsukawa asked and glanced the wooden piece of furniture.  
"No, I keep them in my office", Iwaizumi said and beckoned towards the door next to them.  
"You have an office?" Hanamaki aspirated. "That's cool."  
"I do not spend much time there", Iwaizumi mumbled and walked to the door, opening the lock with the key he had as a necklace. "Come." The door opened with a creak, and the four stepped in a dim, small room full of shelves and cupboards. It was quite similar to Kuroo's office, but it was smaller and way neater. Iwaizumi walked to the back of the room and opened a large cupboard. It was full of wooden boxes, and after searching for a while the brunet took three boxes down from the shelves, putting them to the table next to him.  
"Matsukawa and Hanamaki", he said and beckoned to the place he had took two boxes from. "And Lev", he pointed the last place. Each team had their own shelf, so Iwaizumi didn't want to mess the order. While the soldiers put their boxes to the shelves, Iwaizumi put the other three boxes under his table, away from eyesight. Those were Kuguri, Semi and Kindaichi's belongings, and Iwaizumi had to treat them with care until the fair.  
"How much stuff do you even have here?" Hanamaki huffed and looked around. "Making us to throw our belongings away seems quite unfair if you have your own full room."  
"I have just as much belongings as you do", Iwaizumi said. "Most of this stuff isn't mine. Some of the shelves are full of those same boxes, left from the previous soldiers that died without family. Then there're maps, documents and books that Kuroo gave to me so he wouldn't need to do anything to them himself", the brunet let out an annoyed 'tsk' when thinking of his leader. "I don't have my belongings in a box because there's not anyone to give them to anyway."  
"Heeey, I think I found a personal corner", Hanamaki's teasing voice reached Iwaizumi's ears and the vice-captain instantly spun around to lock his eyes to the soldier. "Photos, eh? It's so dim I can't see… A woman!" Hanamaki sounded victorious as he leaned closer to the wall which was covered in photos.  
"Out." Iwaizumi's voice was suddenly harsh and cold as a stone when he pushed Hanamaki away from the wall. "We are done here already."  
"Why so sudden?" Hanamaki whined. "I didn't have time to observe those photos. They looked kinda old. That's interesting. Our vice-captain has a photo of a young lady on his wall."  
"That's my mother", Iwaizumi snarled shortly. "She was quite young when that photo was taken, yes. Stop blabbering nonsense."  
"Ah, sorry", Hanamaki murmured and sighed overdramatically. "And I thought that our vice-cap had a love-interest. What a shame." He fell silent when Iwaizumi threw an ice-cold gaze at him.  
"Enough shit-talking already", the vice-captain huffed while locking the door. "So, you have already met Ennoshita, the captain of Lev's team, and Bokuto, the captain of Owls. Daichi was in the patrol with us so I guess you can now tell who he is, and you also know Daishou." Hanamaki shivered slightly when Iwaizumi mentioned the Snake's name. "They are the team captains. Kuroo is the captain of my team, but I mostly take that part when he is elsewhere. Snipers are the ones who usually have the antibiotics, so it's important to know them, too. Oikawa is my team's sniper. Sugawara is Crows' sniper, he was in the same patrol as Daichi. Then we have team two's Akaashi, the most skilled sniper here. You will meet him soon, I have to call everyone here. The Snakes don't have a sniper, so Terushima takes care of their antibiotics. In team Eagles we have Shirabu. He's young but skilled, I will introduce him to you soon." Without longer descriptions the brunet took his radiophone from his shoulder and connected it to all the other radiophones. "Iwaizumi here. Meeting in the hall right now. I repeat, meeting in the hall right now. I need to tell our plans for tomorrow." Most of the soldiers were probably already at the headquarters, but it was easiest for Iwaizumi to call them like this. It took a while for everyone to gather in the same room, and most of the soldiers were clearly confused of the sudden meeting.  
"That is Akaashi", Iwaizumi said and pointed the raven-haired sniper while the soldiers were gathering. "And there's Shirabu. You can point the snipers out by the black chokers. It's the best noticeable way to mark the ones who have antibiotics."  
When the soldiers were all in the hall, Iwaizumi turned his attention from the rookies to them. None of the Snakes were there, but that didn't bother the vice-captain. He saw Oikawa from the corner of his eye, but he tried to avoid the eye-contact, feeling the sniper's concerned gaze well enough without looking. "Thank you for coming here. Firstly, these three decided to stay here, so treat them as your comrades from now on", he nodded towards Hanamaki, Matsukawa and Lev. "I'll leave them to your care", he continued to Ennoshita and Bokuto and nodded to them. The captains nodded back in agreement.  
"Now to the main thing", Iwaizumi took a deep inhale. "Most of you already know about the dog we ran across earlier today. Animal Dolls are a serious threat that needs to be removed. We'll hunt them down at once, starting tomorrow at 7am. Every other plan for tomorrow is cancelled. We have to get rid of the animal Dolls before they spread the disease. Anyone who has something against this, step front."  
The vice-captain wasn't even surprised when Tsukishima stepped out of the crowd. "That's incredibly stupid", the blond huffed. "How are we supposed to point out the ones that are Dolls? The animals avoid people anyway, so we won't find them."  
"The Dolls do not avoid people, so that should be easy enough", Iwaizumi noted. "You are free to stay here, though. We don't need any half-assed acts tomorrow."  
"As you wish", Tsukishima said and shrugged slightly. "I'm done enough with this place anyway. G'night." And with that he walked out of the hallway. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and let out a heavy annoyed sigh, turning his look back to the remaining soldiers.  
"Anyone else?" No movement. "Good. Tomorrow at 7pm. Clear." Iwaizumi waited for the soldiers to leave, signing the rookies also to go to sleep. Then he sighed heavily and let a tired look come back to his eyes. Now he could sleep, but he didn't feel good about that. "I wonder how many minutes I can sleep this night."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So you have brought a kid to the headquarters, eh, Ukai?" Iwaizumi didn't know the man who was talking, but he didn't like his voice. "What makes you think that's a good idea? You are a team captain, but this is something only a leader could do." The man was tall and black-haired, and the gaze of sharp, yellow eyes made Iwaizumi feel uneasy. The place they were in didn't calm that feeling – they were in a small, stuffed room full of shelves stuffed with books and papers, and the lightning was so dim that it was difficult for Iwaizumi to see the whole room.  
"You can turn him away if you want to", Ukai answered calmly. "But he is injured, so I think it would be the best to treat the wound here. He has lost everything just now, boss. I'm not willing to let him die, too." The man called 'boss' squinted his eyes and turned his gaze from Ukai to Iwaizumi. The boy would have flinched if he wasn't so tired and numb to everything.  
"He has a good build for a 13-year-old", the man noted, voice low and deliberate. "So he has no place to go, eh?"  
"His whole family died, and I don't think he could survive on his own just yet, so yes, he doesn't have a place to go", Ukai agreed. Iwaizumi wanted to say that he would be fine on his own, but his voice just didn't come out. his throat felt dry and tight, and he was fully aware of the distant stare in his eyes. He wanted this all to be just a dream, just a stupid nightmare that would fade away soon.  
"He has good genes", the boss seemed to talk to himself. "And after Akaizawa, Matt and Rogue died, we don't have enough force…"  
"I will talk to him about that later", Ukai quickly assured, interrupting his leader. "I agree with you, but I don't think it's good time to ask that. I will take care of that later."  
"Fine", the black-haired man stood up from his chair and leaned on his table, eyes staring right at Iwaizumi. "So, Hajime-"  
"Iwaizumi", the boy finally found strength to speak again. "It's Iwaizumi for you." He wasn't comfortable at all when a stranger called him that. It was fine when it was Ukai, but this man didn't seem trustworthy enough for Iwaizumi to accept him calling him by his given name. The boss raised his brows and laughed shortly.  
"I like you, you know that?" he chuckled. "Maybe Ukai is right for a change, maybe it is worth it keeping you here. But now, Iwaizumi, you should go to the medics, you are getting pale. Ukai will guide you there." With that, he signed the two to leave. After Ukai had closed the door behind them, Iwaizumi turned his look to the soldier.  
"So I am staying here?" he asked. His voice was still quite absent-minded, but at least it didn't sound weak or teary anymore. "You'll train me to become a soldier like you?"  
"You are quick to catch up", Ukai noted and gazed the boy shortly. "If that's okay with you, yes. You are quite young, but since this place doesn't really have laws anymore, that's fine. You don't have to start right away, though, you can take your time."  
"Nah", Iwaizumi mumbled and lightly shook his head, eyes turning back to the floor. "I'm fine."  
"If you say so." Ukai's voice was anything but convinced, but that didn't bother Iwaizumi. He needed anything that could have helped him to forget the sickening figure of bloody corpses that was tattooed in his mind. Ukai was going to say something more, but closed his mouth when another person walked to them. He had dark, neatly combed hair and glasses, and he gave Iwaizumi a warm smile.  
"Oh, you must be Matt's son", he said. "I'm Shimada Makoto. I'm the leading medic here. Please, come here." He led Iwaizumi to the large room and beckoned him to sit down. Shimada took off the piece of cloth Iwaizumi's father had tied around the wound and aspirated sharply.  
"It's still bleeding a little", he noted concernedly. "How long has it been? Do you feel dizzy?"  
"Something like an hour, I think", Iwaizumi mumbled. "No, I'm not dizzy."  
"Nauseous? Tired?" Shimada kept asking while carefully cleaning the wound. "Looks like you stand blood loss really well. You're lucky. Losing this much blood could have already killed you, at least made you pass out."  
"Matt was like that, too", Ukai stated and leaned on the wall. "Must come from him. You really will become a valuable soldier, Hajime."  
"You're staying here?" Shimada aspirated to Iwaizumi and gazed Ukai. "What the hell, Keishin, he's just a kid."  
"He doesn't have other place to go to", Ukai hummed. "And you have to admit that he has an ideal body structure for a soldier. Ah, right. Hajime, I needed to ask about your belongings", the soldier turned his attention to the boy. "Since you can't really leave the headquarters after this, you need to bring your stuff here. You can't bring everything, though, they have to fit in a box about this size." He formed a rectangle with his fingers. "We know where you live since we have Matt's information here, but what do you want to bring from there?" The question was surprisingly easy for Iwaizumi.  
"An album on the living room's table", he said. "And a box from my room's first cupboard. Nothing else."


	15. Chapter 15

Iwaizumi opened his eyes when he felt a sting on his cheek. Before he got his eyes fully open and regained his consciousness completely, he felt another sting – or rather a slap.  
"Ah, he's awake." Iwaizumi had to blink a few times before the fogginess left his eyesight, and he instantly frowned when he saw Daichi in front of him.  
"Daichi?" he murmured, voice still hoarse from sleep. "That hurt." He raised his hand to touch his cheek, which was now red and a little swollen.  
"You didn't wake up otherwise", Daichi let out a relieved sigh and leaned back. "We thought that you wouldn't wake up at all."  
"What time is it?" Iwaizumi asked and shook his head to get the thoughts of his sleep away. That didn't help, though, and his mind was still only partly in present.  
"Half past six", Sugawara, who was standing next to Daichi, told. "You have thirty minutes time before the hunt."  
"Oh." Iwaizumi instantly got up, although his movements were still quite stiff from the sleep. He took his radiophone from the floor and fastened it to his shoulder supporter. "I need to hurry, then. I have to-"  
"You'll go to eat", Daichi interrupted strictly. "We will prepare everything. You have to wake up before you can do anything anyway." The vice-captain rolled his eyes, but before he could insist, his words were blocked by a huge yawn which just proved the Crow right.  
"Guess you're right", he sighed. "Let's go, then." His mind was still a mess, mixing the present and past together. The brunet wasn't even completely sure if he really was awake or not. Although he had slept the whole night, he didn't feel like it. He wanted to just close his eyes and disappear to the time everything was still fine.  
"Umh, I meant to ask earlier, but what's with Oikawa?" Sugawara asked carefully and beckoned towards the sniper, who was talking with Akaashi. "He seems somehow distant?"  
Iwaizumi gazed his teammate and ran his fingers through his spiky hair in embarrassment. "I might have yelled at him yesterday", he sighed. "I should probably talk to him."  
"That's new", Sugawara let out a surprised whistle. "You rarely even rise your voice to anyone, the least to him. You should really go talk to him."  
"Later", Iwaizumi murmured and pinched the bridge of his nose. "During the hunt, maybe. When I'm awake." He didn't want to concern Oikawa even more with his absent-minded appearance.  
"Iwaizumi!" Elysia's bright voice was like a needle piercing through the vice-captain's brain and made his head ache horribly. He let out a quiet, pained gurn and turned to look at the girl. She was reaching is hands up, towards Iwaizumi, clearly wanting the brunet to pick her up.  
"Not now, Elysia", he sighed. "I need to go to eat, sorry."  
"I can come with you", she said and smiled wonderfully. Iwaizumi could've sworn that the smile was so bright it made his head ache even more.  
"No." Elysia put her hands down and pouted. Iwaizumi's frown deepened when he looked at the girl, seeing nothing but similarities with Lily and Amy. The bright voice, sunny smile and fluffy hair only reminded him of his sisters. The vice-captain squinted a little and shook his head, letting out an annoyed 'tsk'. He didn't know why he was being so short-tempered, but right now he just didn't stand the girl's overflowingly positive attitude.  
"You should go to play with Yachi or something", Iwaizumi said to her. "I don't have time."  
"But-"  
"Elysia, Iwaizumi is in a hurry", Sugawara interrupted his sister's insisting. "Let's go to find Yachi. You'll have to spend the day with her, since we are out for quite long."  
"Eeehh?" Elysia whined when Sugawara picked her up. "How long?" Iwaizumi didn't stay to listen the conversation. He turned around and walked to the kitchen, leaving the Crows behind.  
"Eat, huh?" he murmured to himself. He didn't have any appetite, although the low growl of his stomach made it clear that he was hungry. Iwaizumi made two sandwiches for himself, but he could only eat the first one of them before the nauseous feeling that started to feel familiar to him made him stop.  
"What the fuck is this?" he mumbled and shoved the other sandwich to the fridge. The disgusting smell of blood hadn't left his mind, and that made his stomach turn. The kitchen was a comfortable little room, almost like in a normal house, and Iwaizumi didn't know why he wasn't able to relax even there. He drank a cup of coffee with few draughts, then took another cup and drank it just as quickly, avoiding the bitter taste of it. He would just need to go with this, there's no way he could eat anything more.  
"Iwaizumi, do you hear me?" The vice-captain took his radiophone off his shoulder when he heard Kuroo's voice.  
"I hear you", he said. "What is it?"  
"I just thought I would inform you of the hunt a little bit", the Cat chuckled from the other end of the line. "Just do as you always do. This is a normal hunt, we just need to keep our eyes open for the animal Dolls. Go to places that stray dogs prefer, like abandoned buildings and stuff. I think streets from 17 to 21 would be good ones. We have kinda avoided those streets since no one lives there anymore, but now I think they are more than perfect for our purposes."  
"Alright", Iwaizumi hummed. "Four streets shouldn't take long, though. Where are we going after that and are you coming with us?"  
"After I have finished my work here, yes." Kuroo was silent for a moment. "I think it would be easier to divide in at least two groups while checking the abandoned streets. After those you can go to the western city, there lives more people but it's still… shady area."  
"I know that well enough", Iwaizumi sighed. "But I guess we don't have a choice. Contact me when you are done with your work, will ya?"  
"Yup, no worries. Clear."  
"Clear." Iwaizumi was quite surprised how responsible and friendly Kuroo sounded for a change. Maybe that was because he had finally something else to do than reading the documents and finding ways to make his vice-captain's life difficult.  
"So we'll need to visit street 20 too, eh?" the brunet mumbled to himself. He had successfully avoided the abandoned street for almost two years. The memory of the last time he was there wasn't beautiful at all – the memory of the last time he visited his childhood home. Images of dilapidate house that was somehow still clean and organized from the inside made a foggy look appear to Iwaizumi's eyes, and he sighed heavily while putting the radiophone back on his shoulder. The man gazed the digital clock on the table, and it took him a while to register the coldly glowing numbers in his mind. 6:55. Five minutes. Five minutes to go, and he still wasn't awake at all.  
"You look absolutely horrible." Iwaizumi felt a strong slap on his back and turned around to see the source of the voice, Bokuto. "Are you even awake?"  
"Don't know", Iwaizumi sighed and shrugged. "I thought being unable to sleep was bad enough, but getting a full-night sleep without getting any energy of it is the absolute worst."  
"Gah, sounds bad", Bokuto mumbled. "But we should go soon. Will you be alright?"  
"Ya, I just need to do something to wake up", Iwaizumi assured and turned around, heading back to the hallway. "I guess Ennoshita isn't coming?"  
"No, his ankle is swollen and aches", Bokuto told. "Kiyoko told him to rest."  
"Then I'll leave the Eagles to your care", Iwaizumi stretched his arms while walking to get the stiffness out of them. "I'll take Crows and possibly Snakes if they want to cooperate. All of the rookies are in your team, so watch out for them a little, will you?"  
"Of course", Bokuto nodded. "Where are we going?"  
"We should check the streets from 17 to 21 first, then we'll move to the western part of the city", Iwaizumi said. "I'll explain it better when the others are here, too. You're familiar with the western side, right? Maybe I should send you there right from the start, that would be quicker…" The last words were only unclear mumbling, since Iwaizumi was practically talking to himself at that point.  
"Ah, there you are", Daichi hummed when he saw Iwaizumi. "The others are waiting outside. It was kinda crowded here, so I sent them there."  
"Alright", Iwaizumi took a deep inhale. "Let's go."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The whole city seemed still. Iwaizumi tried his best to keep himself on guard, but his attention kept wandering around. He had sent Bokuto's part of the unit to the western city as he had thought about, while the Crows headed to street 17 with Iwaizumi and Oikawa. The Snakes "had other things to do" as Daishou had said it, so they wouldn't join the hunt. The soldiers didn't meet anyone or anything on their way, and that made Iwaizumi somehow nervous. They should've seen at least some movement since they walked through almost the whole city. The civilians stayed inside their houses due the announcement Kuroo gave yesterday regarding the hunt, and even the gangs that usually hung up on the street corners – and messed with their lives like that – had disappeared. The silence was threatening, and it made the vice-captain even more nervous than a sound of gunfire.  
"Looks like even Dolls don't come here", Sugawara murmured. Iwaizumi didn't answer the statement in any way, and his look wandered from the abandoned buildings to Oikawa, who was walking a little apart from the others, not giving a single look towards the vice-captain. He didn't look angry or anything, and Iwaizumi knew he was just hurt and did as the brunet had told him to do – left him alone.  
"Go talk to him", Daichi whispered and nudged Iwaizumi's side with his shoulder. "You know he doesn't bite."  
"We should keep our guards up, not chat with others", Iwaizumi mumbled, running his fingers through his hair.  
"You are not guarded anyway when you are acting like a complete air-head", Daichi sighed. "Go on. Your little breakup is concerning the others already."  
"It's not a breakup", Iwaizumi shushed but headed to Oikawa, hands sweating nervously. What if the other brunet was mad at him after all? Iwaizumi wouldn't even be surprised of that, since he had acted like a total jerk towards him. But when the sniper turned his head to meet the vice-captain's eyes and smiled, Iwaizumi's doubts faded away.  
"Ah, Hajime", Oikawa greeted him with a peace-sign. "You look even more tired than yesterday. Are you feeling okay?"  
"That's something I should ask from you", Iwaizumi murmured with a confused tone in his voice. "You are not mad?"  
"About yesterday?" the sniper laughed shortly, but the wide smile didn't reach his eyes. "Why would I? I was the one being annoying, you can take care of yourself. I was just overacting and worried. And I'm actually glad that you still had some strength to snap like that." Iwaizumi raised his brows, not buying anything the sniper said.  
"You are a horrible liar", the vice-captain sighed and turned his look away. "Wipe that fake smile away from your face. I know I hurt you, Tooru. I shouldn't have yelled like that when you were only worried about me. I'm sorry."  
The sniper was quiet for a long while, uttering then a short, sarcastic laughter. "Well, of course it hurt when you practically said that you don't need me anymore. But I'm fine with that, you only said that because you were tired and stressed. You tend to say things you don't mean when you're like that." He didn't try to put up his usual smile anymore, and Iwaizumi wasn't sure if he was glad about that or not, because now Oikawa looked incredibly sad and hurt. "What hurts me the most is seeing you like this and not finding any way to help you. I just don't want you to repeat the same cycle as two years ago." The last sentence was just a weak, partly swallowed whisper. "I'm scared that you have to go through that again."  
"You don't have to", Iwaizumi assured. "I will be fine, Tooru. Just straighten up your back and concentrate on this hunt for now." The brunet felt like it was for the best to change the subject before Oikawa would become too emotional. "Will you be okay? You can't still use your arm properly, right?"  
"Of course I can't", the sniper uttered a dry laughter. "I'm mostly as a patroller here. If something happens, I'll use a handgun."  
"You better not", Iwaizumi huffed and crossed his arms. "When was the last time you used a handgun? You'll shoot your comrades with that."  
"I'm not that helpless!" Oikawa aspirated, pretending to be hurt. "I can use a handgun just as – well, not just as but _almost_ as well as you can."  
"As if", Iwaizumi chuckled. "Just make sure you aim before firing, will ya?"  
Oikawa shoved the other brunet's shoulder lightly with his hand, getting a warm, rare smile appear on the vice-captain's face. Iwaizumi was incredibly glad that Oikawa acted like his usual self. Their friendship was something the brunet didn't want to break at any costs.  
"By the way, Tooru, what did you mean back then when you said that at least I still have a short temper?" Iwaizumi asked and gazed the other brunet. "I don't find any good sides of having a short temper."  
"You haven't noticed it yourself?" the sniper raised his brows. "You have four states of being exhausted, Hajime. The first is the usual "I didn't sleep well and feel a little bit tired", and that's normal for anyone. The second one is being short-tempered. You yell at people, get angry easily and feel annoyed all the time. That is still bearable, and I think you are at that state now. The third one is when you become apathic. You don't care what people say or do. That's a bad thing, since that is a state when you are dangerously tired and tend to overwork yourself easily." Oikawa was silent for a slight moment. "The fourth one is when you start passing out and when it gets really serious. That's probably when you would be hospitalized if you weren't in military."  
The vice-captain stared at his teammate with surprised eyes. "And how in the hell you know this, may I ask?" he mumbled.  
"I have observed your every movement for three years now, Hajime", Oikawa laughed shortly. "I know you pretty well."  
"That's… creepy."  
"Mean!"  
"But I guess I should thank you", the brunet said and nodded to the sniper. "Remember, Tooru, that you are my friend no matter what I say. I would never break our friendship intentionally. You are annoyingly overprotective at times, but I guess that's why I'm still alive." He let out a short, light-hearted laughter. "Thank you."  
Oikawa was suddenly red and clearly embarrassed of sudden thanking, and he turned his look away and mumbled something unclear.  
"Anyway", Iwaizumi changed the subject again to save the sniper from falling in the grave of embarrassment. "We are here." Street 20, also known as Trafalgar Street, the place of countless sweet memories from childhood. Iwaizumi spotted the third building of the street, the familiar red house with dark roof and sealed windows. "Daichi, you go ahead and check the other houses with your team. I'll take number three." Without waiting for the Crow's response, the vice-captain jogged to the house.  
"Hajime! Wait!" He heard Oikawa's voice from behind him, but didn't react to that when he opened the wooden door and disappeared from the other soldiers' sight to the dim house. The electricity didn't work, and since it was still quite dark outside, the house was shady and it was difficult for Iwaizumi to see. Still, he knew the rooms and hallways better than anything and walked easily to the small living room.  
"It should be here somewhere", he muttered to himself and let his hand slide through the low table in the middle of the room. He heard annoyed swearing from the hallway and could've guessed Oikawa had followed him. Still, the brunet didn't react to that and kept searching. Where he had dropped it? He wanted to find it soon before the heavy atmosphere in the room would strangle him.  
"Hajime, what are you doing?" Oikawa had finally reached the living room. "I thought you'd want to avoid this house."  
"I just need to find something", the vice-captain said shortly without even looking at the sniper. "It should be here."  
"What?" Oikawa asked. "What should be here?"  
"You remember the necklace I had two years ago? I dropped it here when I lastly visited", Iwaizumi said. "It's really important. I have to find it."  
"Ah, that locket?" Oikawa sighed. "I guess I'll help you find it, then."  
"Is this what you're searching for?" Oikawa flinched and Iwaizumi raised his brows in surprise when they heard a low voice from the door. "Long time no see, Hajime. You should be more careful with your little decorations."  
"Who are you and with what right do you call Hajime by his first name?" Oikawa asked with slightly distressed, annoyed voice. Iwaizumi turned his head and straightened his back. Then a wide smile appeared on his face, surprising Oikawa completely.  
"It really has been a long time, Ukai."


	16. Chapter 16

The beginning in the military wasn't easy at all. Most of the soldiers had singled Iwaizumi out as a "stupid, unstable kid who shouldn't be there". The boy would have shown them that he wasn't that bad, but the panic attacks and nightmares regarding the death of his family made him down and out. Iwaizumi didn't find strength to fight back the bullies. The medics and Ukai were the only ones that didn't belittle him. Taki was trying his best, too, but as a straightforward person he was just as bad as the others. Even when Iwaizumi went to sleep body full of bruises and practiced harder than anyone could practice, he wasn't fully accepted in the unit.  
Iwaizumi had been in the unit for two months when the situation changed. "Good job, Ukai, we got a new kid to take care of thanks to the one you brought here earlier." Uchizawa's voice wasn't amused at all when he shoved a short, raven-haired boy to the back to make him reel a few steps forward. "This boy was found from the street. I think the boss said he had killed some kids younger than him, so the local unit there sent him here for us. They think we can train him to be a soldier. In my opinion we should just let a murderer like him die, but boss said that we will keep him."  
"That's fine with me", Ukai said and put his hand on Iwaizumi's shoulder. "I can train him alongside Hajime. And don't talk about him like he was a pet that we 'keep or do not keep'."  
"Whatever", Uchizawa huffed. "He didn't even tell his name. A rebellious teen, eh? Have fun training him." The soldier mumbled something to himself when he turned out and walked away with unamused, loud steps. Ukai sighed heavily and crouched down to meet the new boy's eyes.  
"Hello. You are completely safe, I won't hurt you, so you can relax. I am Ukai Keishin. What's your name?" the soldier asked with the calming voice Iwaizumi had grown attached to. The boy, however, wasn't affected by the man's voice at all, and all Iwaizumi could see in his dark eyes was utter fear. He stared at Ukai with wide eyes, every muscle tense and hands squeezed to fists. It looked like he was prepared to be hit at any moment. Iwaizumi noted how thin the boy was, and he had countless bruises and cuts on his pale skin. He had also a few earrings, which Iwaizumi found strange since the boy clearly wasn't older than him, maybe a few years younger. He had a worn out scarf tightly around his neck and his jacket wasn't a new one either. However, the clothes weren't so decrepit that Iwaizumi would have believed the story of the boy being a homeless bum.  
Ukai observed the boy a while, but then gave up and stood up. "Looks like you don't feel like talking right now. Hajime, can you show him the places? I think it would be more effective from another kid."  
"Alright", the brunet nodded and turned his look from Ukai back to the boy. "Come." Surprisingly, the kid followed Iwaizumi without hesitation, and they walked through the room to the front door. Iwaizumi wanted to talk to the boy before introducing the headquarters, and that would be the easiest on the outside.  
"I don't really know why you are here, but this isn't a bad place", Iwaizumi said while walking next to the other boy. "It may look like Hell, but you'll get used to it. Ukai is the friendliest of the soldiers, so you can talk to him if something bothers you. The others may judge you about everything, but they don't mean harm. They just aren't used to teens like us in their unit." The brunet kept talking, trying to make the boy relax at least a little. For his luck and surprise the raven was way calmer than a moment ago, although he kept gazing behind his back. "What's your name? I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, and I came here two months ago. I'm thirteen years old. You can call me Hajime."  
"Akaashi", the boy said quietly. "…Keiji. Twelve." His voice was beautiful, but the nervousness made it sound raspy. Iwaizumi was surprised of his age, since he was almost as old as the brunet, although he looked way younger with his stick-thin arms and fluffy hair.  
"It's nice to meet you", Iwaizumi said and smiled, relieved of the fact that the boy talked to him. "Can I call you Keiji?"  
"Sure." When Iwaizumi gazed the boy shortly, he saw a slight smile on his lips. That made the brunet smile, too, and he laughed shortly when he turned around. He had thought that keeping up a smiling face was going to be difficult, but now it felt like the most natural thing on earth.  
"Well, here you can see the whole headquarters", Iwaizumi said. "And the nearest parts of the city. We aren't allowed to visit the civilians, though. We will see them only in patrols. We basically live in the headquarters, so the city isn't that important. It's just a training field." He turned around again. This is pretty peaceful city, but we have to do patrols to keep track of the Dolls' movements."  
"Dolls?" Akaashi's voice was confused. "What are those?"  
"Ah, right, they didn't tell you yet", Iwaizumi hummed. "The Dolls are the reason this unit is needed. They are people affected by a strange disease. That illness makes their consciousness fade, and they become emotionless killing machines. Their pupils become thin, almost cat-like, their skin becomes dry as a desert and it starts to crack, and their canine teeth grow. Ukai says they are 'humans who act like animals'. Our duty is to kill them, regardless who they are – children, elders or comrades." He looked at the other boy, excepting him to be against it. But Akaashi only looked spooked and uncomfortable.  
"I can't do it", he said. "I will not kill children."  
"Then I can do that", Iwaizumi promised. "You don't have to if it's difficult for you." Akaashi was quiet for a slight moment and nodded in agreement.  
"Good. Then we should go back inside to check the rooms", Iwaizumi stated and stretched his arms above his head.  
"Can't we stay here?" Akaashi's voice was suddenly distressed again. "Until the soldiers have gone to sleep?"  
"That would take long", Iwaizumi said and gazed the boy eyebrows raised concernedly. "Why? I told you, they are good people although they don't look like it." Akaashi lowered his look and fiddled his fingers nervously.  
"I… I'm scared of adults", he mumbled. "Men around twenty years older than me to be specific, which fits almost all the soldiers here. I don't want to talk to them."  
Iwaizumi blinked in surprise. "Well, I'll talk to them for you then", he promised. "You don't have to worry." Akaashi looked at him for a while and nodded then. Iwaizumi gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and walked back to the headquarters with him. The brunet didn't ask about his background, nor the reason for the other boy's fears. He didn't want to make him even more nervous and wanted to make him feel at least somehow comfortable, since he knew how it felt like to be an outsider himself.  
"We should check the kitchen first", Iwaizumi stated and walked through the hallway Akaashi following right after him. "This place actually feels more like a regular home than the headquarters of the military unit. You'll just need to make yourself feel comfortable here."  
"Ah, so this is the new rascal we got?" Iwaizumi cursed his luck when he heard a familiar voice behind them, and he refused to turn around to meet Mizoguchi's mocking look. "Gosh, what is the boss thinking? This one doesn't even have a good build like you do, Hajime."  
"It's Iwaizumi for you", the brunet said, voice stone-cold. "It's not your place to mock him, Mizoguchi."  
"And it's not your place to tell me what I should do, kid", the soldier put his hand on Akaashi's shoulder. "Hey, boy, what's your name?" The raven flinched and tried to avoid the touch, but Mizoguchi tightened his hold until he was basically squeezing Akaashi's shoulder with all he got.  
"Get your hand off him!" Iwaizumi hissed and slapped the man's hand away from Akaashi's tensed shoulder. "His name is Akaashi. He is twelve, and he will show you that all soldiers don't have to have incredible muscles and athletic build. Just wait and see."  
Mizoguchi threw his head backwards and let out a loud, sarcastic laughter. "What? The only place where you don't need strength is sniper, but this kid here doesn't even have a chance to become one."  
"And why is that?" Iwaizumi snarled and squinted his eyes. "I don't see anything that would prevent that."  
Mizoguchi laughed again, leaving an annoying grin on his face and tilted his head, looking Iwaizumi straight to the eyes. "You are even more naïve than I thought. You need your both eyes to be a sniper. Anyone could see that this kid's right eye is blind."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"It really has been a long time, Ukai." The older man grinned and threw the locket to the vice-captain.  
"Ukai?" Oikawa repeated, sounding lost. "Ukai Keishin that you have told about?"  
"I'm honored that you tell about me to your comrades, Hajime", Ukai laughed and walked to the brunet, giving him a strong pat on the shoulder. "Let me see. You are thinner and paler than last time, but you really have built some muscle. I surely wonder how you stand cold so well when you don't have fat at all. Has the life of vice-captain been enjoyable?"  
"Depends", Iwaizumi hummed. "This guy is Oikawa Tooru, by the way. He's my team's sniper." He looked around and a little shiver went down his spine. "We can talk outside, but right now we should get out of here since you found what I was looking for."  
Ukai nodded slowly, observing the brunet's eyes carefully. "I see. Let's go, then."  
"How long has it been?" Iwaizumi wondered when they walked out of the house, leaving the heavy atmosphere behind. "Four years?"  
"I guess", Ukai chuckled. "You really should visit once in a while, Hajime. I don't have a single clue what's going on in military when you don't even bother to tell me."  
"Sorry, I've been kinda busy lately", Iwaizumi apologized. "Although I don't know if there's anything to tell anyway."  
"Ah, Ukai!" Daichi's voice reached their ears, and they saw the captain jogging to them from one of the abandoned buildings. "It's nice to see you. How have you been?"  
"Bored", Ukai laughed. "I would want some action in my life, but I guess that isn't possible anymore. I heard you are the captain of Crows these days? Who are your teammates?"  
"Yup, that's me", Daichi nodded. "I have three teammates, Suga, Kageyama and Tsukishima. Suga is the sniper, he and Kageyama should be here somewhere. Tsukishima is a problem child, so he isn't with us today." The Crow laughed awkwardly and ruffled his hair. "Maybe I should be a little stiffer to get the soldiers to follow the rules without problems."  
"Please no!" Oikawa aspirated. "You are already the scariest person when you get angry, I don't want you to be like that all the time!"  
"I agree with that", Ukai laughed. "Just stay as the warm-hearted Daichi I know."  
"So Daichi also knows you?" Oikawa asked from Ukai. "I thought only Hajime and Akaashi were the ones that have been here long enough."  
"I've been here five years and Ukai left a little after I joined", Daichi explained. "Three months, maybe?"  
"Four, I think", Ukai said. "Right, is Keiji here?"  
"No, he's on the other group, on the western city", Iwaizumi said. "Don't worry, he's doing fine."  
"I'm glad to hear that", Ukai let out a relieved exhale. "I haven't met him after I left, so it's a shame that he is elsewhere, though. So he has been fine as a sniper?"  
"Yea, he has", Iwaizumi nodded. "His eye hasn't bothered him at all. He's our best sniper." Since Daichi and Oikawa were the only ones that were with them, the vice-captain could talk about this without feeling pressure. Oikawa, Daichi and Bokuto were the soldiers who knew that Akaashi's right eye was blind, and the sniper didn't want others to know. Back then, when they were only rookies in the military, it would have been easy to spot the blindness since the blind eye had been foggy and greyish, but now the eye looked almost like the other one.  
"I almost would love to see how Mizo would react to that", Ukai hummed. "Tell Keiji I said hi and that I'm proud of him."  
"Sure."  
"Ah, Suga and Kageyama are done checking the buildings", Daichi noted when he saw his teammates walking to them. "I think we should go then, Iwaizumi."  
"Yup. Sorry, Ukai. We're on a hunt", Iwaizumi shrugged slightly. "We found a dog Doll yesterday, so we need to check if there's more of them."  
"Yea, I heard the announcement earlier", Ukai sighed. "See you later, then. Stay safe."


	17. Chapter 17

Iwaizumi's eyes were barely open. For his luck they hadn't come across any Dolls, but that concerned him nonetheless. The flood of tiredness wasn't yet enough to mess his mind up, and he knew it was troubling that the Dolls were hiding.

"Could it be that they are showing intelligence?" he murmured partly to himself. "If they know to avoid us like this, it will cause trouble."

"You should just let it be for now", Oikawa requested and gave his teammate a worried glance. "We should return already. You-"

"Just one street left", Iwaizumi interrupted the sniper. "I don't know where this exhaustion came from, but that's nothing for you to worry about. I can rest after this, since we don't have any plans later today."

"You better do that!" Oikawa huffed. "Your eyes are becoming foggy."

"Oh shut up for once."

"Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi, do you hear me?" The vice-captain took his radiophone from his shoulder when he heard Kuroo's voice from it.

"I'm here", he answered. "What is it? Are you on your way already?"

"Yup, but not to where you are", Kuroo's voice was tense. "Bokuto contacted me. Looks like there's a failure in the connections, so he couldn't reach any of you… However, head to the western city, Street 27, right now. Bokuto's team run across a huge pack of Dolls and they need every possible help immediately. Snakes are already on their way."

"We'll be there in no time. Clear." Iwaizumi gazed behind his back to meet Daichi's eyes. "You heard. We need to hurry." The Crow nodded strictly and Iwaizumi put the radiophone back to his shoulder, starting to run towards Street 27. The tiredness had disappeared under the flowing adrenaline, and Iwaizumi felt more awake than in days. Kuroo's voice had been dangerously serious. The vice-captain didn't even want to think what was waiting ahead of them.

"A huge pack?" Sugawara muttered as he ran next to his captain. "It's unusual for Kuroo to use that description. They must really be in a trouble." Iwaizumi didn't answer – he didn't need to. For Kuroo, forty or fifty Dolls was 'just usual'. To call the pack 'huge' meant that there were probably nearly one hundred of them. Bokuto's team wouldn't stand a slightest chance especially with the three rookies among them.

"This is bad", Iwaizumi's voice was just an unclear mumble. "Looks like the Dolls that were supposed to be here are all there instead. We really need to be quick."

'Huge' was really the only way to describe the pack. Hundred wasn't enough, there was probably at least forty Dolls more than that. Despite the fact that Snakes were already there and the unit was almost at its full force, the Dolls clearly had the upper hand. Iwaizumi couldn't even spot all the soldiers from the ocean of Dolls, and inhuman screaks and yells filled his head while the thin layer of snow was turning red from the blood.

"Suga and Tooru, stay away from fight", the vice-captain said strictly while trying to catch his breath. "Take care of the escaping ones and find Akaashi and Shirabu." The snipers had handguns with them, but Iwaizumi didn't want to risk their lives by throwing them in the middle of the fight with weapons they weren't used to have. Both soldiers nodded without saying anything.

"Daichi and Kageyama, help the others. I need to find Lev, Mattsun and Makki." Iwaizumi went the mass through with his eyes, trying to find at least a glimpse of the three new soldiers. He refused to think about the red, sticky slush that was once snow and kept his thoughts in fight instead of the sickening memories that were forcing their way to his mind. He took the gun and the knife from his waist and joined the fight. He could just hope to come across of the rookies in some point, since he couldn't find them from the mass of Dolls. Stab to the back, bullet through the head, Iwaizumi lost count of the Dolls he had injured or killed while making his way through the crowd. The Dolls were aggressive ones, and that made the vice-captain even more nervous about the safety of the rookies. This number of Dolls would have been difficult to handle even if they would've been passive ones that just tried to escape. The fact that they fought back made the situation extremely dangerous for the ones that weren't used to it.

"Matsukawa!" the brunet exhaled when he finally saw the man fighting the Dolls. "Where are Lev and Hanamaki?" he asked while shooting one of the Dolls to stomach. Matsukawa was luckily experienced, so he wasn't in instant danger.

"You're finally here!" Matsukawa aspirated. His eyes were full of fear – not for himself, but the others. "I lost them! They're probably somewhere nearby, but I couldn't stay with them. You have to find them, Lev hit his head and is unconscious and Makki isn't experienced enough to protect him alone!"

"That's bad", Iwaizumi murmured as he waved his hand shortly to thank the soldier and turned his attention fully back to the Dolls. Matsukawa's words and expression had made him even more anxious about the situation. He needed to find the two rookies as quickly as possible.

"Iwaizumi!" He heard Daichi's voice nearby and spotted the crow quickly. "There!" the captain pointed to the left, and when Iwaizumi looked there he saw Hanamaki right away. The vice-captain hurried through the mass of Dolls to reach them, not giving any thoughts to claws that scratched his legs and back.

"Hanamaki!" the vice-captain called when he was close enough. "Are you alright?"

"Somehow", Hanamaki hissed and shoot a Doll that was coming closer them. "What the fuck is this, Iwaizumi? This isn't like the last time at all!"

"These Dolls are aggressive and fight back", Iwaizumi mumbled and crouched down to Lev who was laying on the ground. "He hit his head?"

"Yea, he should be alright", Hanamaki said and kept the Dolls away from the other two. "So am I, I haven't gotten any bites, just scratches."

"That's good to hear. Get him out of this area", Iwaizumi demanded. "I'll shield you. Tie that wound in your side and come back to fight then."

"Roger that", Hanamaki mumbled and switched places with Iwaizumi. The soldier lifted Lev from his armpits and started to drag him away from the middle of the mass.

"Iwaizumi, left!" The vice-captain reacted to the voice instantly, but he was still too late to avoid the attacking Doll. Sharp claws tore the skin of the left side of his face and made him let out a pained sound. He reeled a few steps back to keep his balance, but the Doll attacked again instantly, aiming to bite his shoulder. This time Iwaizumi was quick enough to react and hit the Doll to the chin to keep its fangs away from him. Blood had made the vision of his left eye unclear, and for a slight moment Iwaizumi lost track of the other Dolls around him. In an instant he found himself falling to the ground by a strong attack on his back, and pain made his mind spin when the claws dug in his back and he felt sharp teeth on his neck. The vice-captain bended his back to hit the Doll with his elbow and got to get up. He glanced behind him only to see a Doll a few inches away from him, ready to hit him with its claws with all it got. Iwaizumi pulled the trigger and the Doll fell to the ground, blood flowing from its chest. It was difficult enough for Iwaizumi to keep the Dolls away from Hanamaki and Lev while protecting himself, and the injury on his face made it even harder.

A loud gunshot cut through the air and one of the Dolls surrounding Iwaizumi fell to the ground as lifeless corpse. Iwaizumi gazed to the side to see Bokuto, who was shooting the Dolls without mercy.

"Fuck, Iwaizumi, are you alright?" the Owl aspirated and hurried to the vice-captain after killing the surrounding Dolls. "Do you see with your left eye?"

"I do, the blood just makes it a little foggy", Iwaizumi assured, trying to catch his breath again. "What about the others? Any losses yet?"

"No, although Yaku had to retreat after getting a deep cut in his chest", Bokuto said. His voice was strangely unclear. "I left Akaashi and Shirabu further away so they wouldn't get hurt, but now I don't know if that was wise. We need every single soldier here to stay alive." He shoot a few Dolls that were coming near them, and Iwaizumi noticed how he gritted his teeth while pulling the trigger. "You got bitten. You should go take the antibiotic."

"Bo, are you alright?" Iwaizumi asked, voice a little afraid and full of concern. "Are you injured?"

"I might have gotten a bad cut in my back", the Owl let out a short, sarcastic laughter. "I'll treat it later." When he raised his hands to shoot again, a sharp breath escaped his lips and his legs wavered a little. Iwaizumi didn't have time to say anything, when he had to shoot the Doll dragging itself towards Hanamaki, who was almost out of the crowd with Lev.

"Bo, I don't think you should fight any longer-" Iwaizumi's sentence was cut short when he turned his look back to the Owl. The captain was laying face down on the ground without a single movement, and two Dolls were instantly attacking him.

"Shit", Iwaizumi aspirated and hurried to the unconscious Owl, stabbing the Dolls to the necks to get them off the other soldier. "Bo! Bokuto! Answer me!" The vice-captain shook his comrade's shoulder without getting any response. Bokuto's chest was rising in time with hasty, weak breaths and blood was still flowing from the cut on his back.

"Might have gotten a cut, huh?" Iwaizumi murmured and reloaded his gun to shoot two more Dolls. "You'll bleed to death if I don't get you out of here." The brunet's wounds screamed mercy when he lifted the owl to drag him away from the fight. He wrapped his other arm around Bokuto's chest and kept his gun in the other.

"Tooru!" Iwaizumi yelled when he spotted the sniper from the edge of the crowd. The sniper's eyes widened when he saw his comrades, and the brunet hurried to them.

"Is he alive?" Oikawa aspirated.

"Barely", Iwaizumi murmured and put the Owl down after getting him out of the mass. "I need an antibiotic. Bokuto wasn't bitten, luckily." Oikawa took the syringe from the pocket of his jacket and injected it on Iwaizumi's shoulder, while the other brunet took Bokuto's jacket off to see the wound better. The vice-captain took off his own jacket and folded it on the wound, pushing it down to stop the bleeding.

"You have gauzes, don't you?" he asked from Oikawa. "I need one roll."

"You should do something to your own wounds after this", Oikawa requested after giving a roll of gauze to his teammate. "Your back doesn't look that good."

"I don't have time." Iwaizumi's voice was becoming distressed. "I have to go check that Matsukawa is alright. Lev is out, Bokuto is unconscious, and only lord knows how many injured we have." The vice-captain was quiet for a slight moment and took the radiophone from his shoulder after finishing bandaging Bokuto's wound. "Kuroo, do you hear me? We have to retreat. This is insane." The brunet saw Oikawa flinch slightly, but didn't react to that at all. "We will all die otherwise."

"What's with you?" Kuroo's voice was annoyed and a loud gunshot echoed through the line and sky. "Getting cold feet? Our duty is to kill these Dolls or die while trying. Kenma is bringing more antibiotics, don't worry about that."

"It's not about the antibiotics", Iwaizumi snapped. "Since the snipers aren't counted, we have nine soldiers left after you and me. Bokuto is now unconscious, and the number of the Dolls isn't decreasing at all. We will really die if we stay here, Kuroo. I'm fine if you tell me to stay here and die, but I will not let you have all these soldiers killed. Wake up and swallow your pride for once." The line was silent for a while, and Iwaizumi could hear the gunshots from the other end.

"You are right", Kuroo finally answered. "Contact the others. I don't really have a good moment for that right now." After that the leader cut off the line. Iwaizumi connected his radiophone to all the others instantly.

"All soldiers, retreat as quickly as possible. I repeat, retreat instantly. There are too many Dolls for us. Retreat and help your injured comrades out of here." He cut the line off and gazed Oikawa. "Find Makki and Lev. I know you can't lift things with your other arm yet, but one arm is enough help for them. They should be near that blue house next to the shop."

"What about you?" Oikawa worried. "Bokuto isn't light, you know."

"That's why I need someone with two arms to help me", Iwaizumi stated, carefully keeping his voice far from insulting. "Go."

"I'll help him, Oikawa", Kageyama's voice made the two to turn their attention to the Crow who jogged to them from the mass. "Get out of here."

"What a nice way to say it, Tobio-chan", Oikawa snarled sarcastically, but was clearly relieved that it was Kageyama who had appeared. "Fine then. See you at the headquarters." The sniper was gone in an instant.

"Retreat, huh?" Kageyama mumbled as he crouched down next to Bokuto. "That will damage Snakes' imago, you know. They won't leave."

"That can't be helped", Iwaizumi mumbled. "Can you carry him by yourself? I need to check that everyone gets out of here."

"I think so", the Crow stated. "Actually I don't know if you'd be much help anyway. Make sure to get out of here without straining yourself any more, okay?"

"Yup, no worries", Iwaizumi assured and straightened up his back. "My wounds aren't that bad and I don't feel tired right now. I'll just check that no one is left behind."

"See you soon then." Iwaizumi nodded to answer the statement of the Crow and ran back to the mass. The Dolls were wandering around confusedly when the soldiers ran away from them. The new situation made them quite harmless for a slight moment. Iwaizumi didn't even need to shoot many of them while making his way through the crowd. He saw Terushima fighting against three Dolls and quickly shot them to make them harmless for at least a slight moment.

"Retreat, Terushima", he demanded. "It's an order. We still need you, you can't die here."

"I will accept that from Daishou only", the Snake answered without hesitation. "I won't-"  
"Terushima, do as he says", Daishou's voice interrupted them, and the scarred soldier ran to them after killing a few Dolls by slicing their throats. "Retreat."

The Snake furrowed and tilted his head, and for a slight moment Iwaizumi thought that he would start arguing with his captain. "If you say so", Terushima finally hummed and ran past the other two, heading to the outline of the crowd.

"Even I do realize when we don't have a chance to win", Daishou huffed when he saw Iwaizumi's surprised expression. "We already lost Futakuchi. I will stay here, but I won't have any more of my teammates killed. I guess the same goes for you."

"I'll stay here only as long as it's necessary, but you have a point", Iwaizumi admitted, not letting himself to give a second thought to the fact that Futakuchi was killed. Time for that would be later. "Now, help me to make sure that the Dolls won't chase the retreating soldiers."

"Sure thing, vice-cap."

"Kageyama, is everyone there?" Iwaizumi asked after connecting his radiophone to Crow's one. "Is someone missing?"

"I think only Sugawara, Futakuchi and Daichi are missing if I don't count you, Kuroo and Daishou." The line crackled a little, but Iwaizumi could make sense of the words quite easily. "Even Tanaka and Terushima have retreated."

"So only Suga and Daichi left", Iwaizumi mumbled. "Thank you. We'll make sure that the Dolls won't chase you and follow you after that."

"Roger. Try to stay alive until then."

Iwaizumi had barely time to fasten the radiophone back to his shoulder supporter before he had to defend himself against Dolls again. The confusion had already faded from their unconscious minds and now they were attacking the humans closest them, and that didn't mean well to the two soldiers who were in the middle of the mass of Dolls.

"Try to find Suga and Daichi", Iwaizumi aspirated to Daishou before grabbing his knife once again and taking a Doll head-on. The exhaustion was returning to the vice-captain's limbs, and his movements were getting slower. It wasn't enough for him to back down, though. The feeling of instant danger made his blood boil in his veins, and even when his arms didn't move the way he wanted to, he felt more alive than in ages. The Doll scratched his shoulder, but Iwaizumi stabbed it to the chest and made it fall to the ground, struggling to breath and get air to its damaged lungs. A little voice in the back of Iwaizumi's head was what made him feel more fearless and strong than before: he didn't need to worry about his comrades anymore. They were safe as long as Iwaizumi kept the Dolls here with him. Iwaizumi spun around to kick the nearest Doll to its head, and made his way to the edge of the crowd.

"You won't go any further than this", he hissed, standing between the Dolls and retreating soldiers. "Come on, show me what you've got!" His strong voice gathered Dolls' attention just as he had predicted, and none of them were interested in other soldiers anymore.

"Roughly forty Dolls, eh?" Iwaizumi murmured as the mass began moving towards him. "Another forty with Kuroo and Daishou… Where do they come from?" The vice-captain was sure that they had killed nearly seventy Dolls already, but the square was just as full of Dolls as it had been in the start. Did they have some kind of base nearby?

Iwaizumi's eyes caught a familiar figure, and when he turned his head, he saw Sugawara roughly ten meters from him. The sniper was shaking and pointed a Doll with his gun, but Iwaizumi saw easily that he had some kind of trouble with pulling the trigger. The Doll was standing back towards Iwaizumi, so the vice-captain could not shoot it carelessly without risking Suga's safety.

"Sugawara!" he yelled as he backed off from the other Dolls. "Get down!" The grey-haired soldier instantly crouched down, hands covering his head. The thing he shouted, however, surprised Iwaizumi completely.

"Don't!" Sniper's voice was desperate and shocked, but Iwaizumi had already pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the Doll's shoulder, and it collapsed to the ground with a horrifying scream. Iwaizumi ignored the other Dolls that were dragging themselves towards him and ran to the sniper to check if he was alright.

"Are you okay?" the brunet aspirated and crouched down to grab the other soldier's shoulders. "Why did you-"

The vice-captain didn't need to end his question, because the answer was right in front of him. The Doll that he had shot to the shoulder struggled on the ground, letting out inhuman screaks of pain as it tried to get the bullet out of its shoulder. Blood had made its dark, short hair sticky and the pupils of once so warm, brown eyes were thin as sticks. Iwaizumi felt shivers go down his spine when the creature growled in pain, showing its sharp teeth and making the face so familiar to him twitch into an ugly grin.

"Daichi", Iwaizumi's voice was just a hoarse whisper. "Oh my god. It's really you."

"I was late", Sugawara hiccupped, trying to hold back his tears. "I wasn't… able to help him anymore." The sniper ran his fingers through his hair, clearly trying to get himself together. "Do we really… need to kill him?"

"We do", Iwaizumi said quietly, pushing the growing feeling of quilt away. "Now, before the other Dolls reach us and when he's still unable to move."

"Can't we take him to the headquarters?" Tears were already rolling down Sugawara's face as he gazed his vice-captain. "Maybe it would be easier to find a medicine if we'd have a Doll there-"

"Now, Sugawara", Iwaizumi interrupted him. "We tried that once, and the result was three dead soldiers. If you don't do it, I will." He didn't want to sound so heartless or force the sniper to kill his own teammate, but he knew this was for the best. Sugawara wouldn't probably get back on his feet ever again if he wouldn't gather is courage now. The vice-captain lowered his voice a little before continuing:

"Do it for him. I don't know how Dolls' minds work, but if he has at least a little bit of consciousness left, he would want you to end you this now before he hurts either one of us."

"I know", Sugawara aspirated. "I know, but still…" He locked his hands together to warm them up a little, but the fear didn't leave his eyes. Iwaizumi glanced around them, noticing that a group of Dolls was only a few meters away from them. Another group had started to make its way to chase the other soldiers.

"I'm sorry", the brunet mumbled and reloaded his gun. He had to do this. The vice-captain tried not to think who was in front of him when he aimed the gun to Daichi. Only a blink before he would have pulled the trigger, a gunshot cut through the air just next to him and a bullet ripped through Daichi's head. The captain of Crows fell down, remaining on the ground, limbs twitching as blood flowed from his head. Iwaizumi gazed Sugawara in shock, and the sniper stared at his captains now motionless corpse eyes full of utter shock. The gun he had just shot with dropped from his hand and his mouth opened a little, and Iwaizumi could hear his already difficult breathing changing to a high-pitched, rapid one that told how near of breaking down completely the soldier was. Sugawara's whole body was shaking and tears were streaming down his cheeks as he tried to say something, but couldn't find words.

Iwaizumi had to snatch himself away from the frozen moment as the first Dolls reached them. "Suga, I know it's difficult, but please retreat. We'll bring Daichi with us", he assured to the sniper and stood up. "The others aren't that far away yet. You'll reach them in no time." Sugawara wiped his face with his arm and stood up, legs still wavering a little and eyes staring blankly forward.

"Go. I'll shield you." The sniper nodded as an answer to the vice-captain's statement, and headed to the edge of the square, away from the Dolls. Iwaizumi shot once to the sky to turn the Dolls' attention to himself and lowered his gun to shoot the closest Doll to the neck.

"Iwaizumi, back!" The vice-captain heard Kuroo's voice behind him and spun around, pulling the trigger instantly to shoot the Doll only few feet away from him. He reeled back a little as the world started spinning in his head because of the sudden quick movement, and the only reason he didn't trip and fall was Kuroo's back against his.

"Getting tired already?" the leader hummed. "Normally you would have noticed that Doll by yourself and killed it without trouble."

"I'm amazed that you bothered to warn me", Iwaizumi noted. "Wouldn't it be a perfect thing for your plan if I'd die here?"

"Come on, I'm not that evil", Kuroo laughed and fired the nearest Doll with his rifle. "I have to admit that the unit needs you right now. I'll kill you later." The last statement was a clear joke, and it made Iwaizumi utter a short, dry laughter.

"Maybe I can trust you now, then."

Back by back, the leading members of the unit did their best to buy enough time for the retreating soldiers. With an effective defending style, they remained without worse injuries and got to keep the Dolls with them.

"Iwaizumi, we are now almost at the headquarters", Iwaizumi heard Kageyama's voice from his radiophone. "Sugawara is now here, but he is hysteric and tearful. I think I can guess why Daichi isn't here yet. Matsukawa brought Futakuchi's corpse, so don't worry about that. Are you three okay?"

"Daichi is dead", Iwaizumi dropped. "We are fine. We'll be there soon, gather the soldiers to the hall and treat the serious injuries."

"Roger." The Crow cut the connection off, and Iwaizumi could now focus fully to the fight.

"Kuroo, we should retreat", the vice-captain stated to his leader. "Let's go from Street 28. Can you take Daichi if I shield you?"

"Sure, just make sure to aim before firing", Kuroo nagged and lowered his rifle to crouch down next to Daichi's corpse. Iwaizumi let out a half-hearted 'tsk' and focused on keeping the Dolls away from Kuroo.

"Feels almost like the old days, eh?" Kuroo's statement made a tired, small smile appear on Iwaizumi's face, and the brunet nodded.

"Yup. The good ol' days. Just do your job, jerk."

"Does the Snake stay here? He'll die", Kuroo asked, beckoning to Daishou with a nod. The scarred soldier was still in the middle of the Dolls, but Iwaizumi could see the determined look in his eyes and knew that the Snake wasn't going to give up.

"Ya. There's no helping it."

As they made their way away from the Dolls, Iwaizumi gazed Daishou once in a while. It was a shame to lose a soldier like him, but the brunet knew that Daishou had made his mind. I wasn't just the worthless pride he had, it was the way to live for him. He never bow to the enemies, neither comrades, and walked the path he had acknowledged as the worthy one. Even when the first feeling Iwaizumi had when talking to the Snake was carefulness and fear, he couldn't shut out the utter respect he felt towards the captain. Daishou lived the way he wanted – and died the way he wanted.


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey, is it true that you can't feel pain? Let me check that." The first memory was the utter disrespecting voice, when a little boy fell on his back by another boy's strong push on his chest. "Does it hurt? No? How about this?" A punch to the face, kick to the side, and all Daishou could do was lay there and let a group of older boys beat him.  
"Leave me alone!" he yelled and tried to get up. He didn't feel pain, they were right with that, but he didn't like getting all bruised up. His mother would scold him for that.  
"Just cry a little, would ya?" the boy he hated the most, Sasaki said. "Are you trying to be tough? There's no way someone wouldn't be able to feel anything!" He gazed his friend, the one who had pushed Daishou down. "You clearly don't know how to kick, Luca. This shit didn't even feel it." After that Sasaki bended his back to get strength to his punch, and hit Daishou right to the face. The boy felt how his teeth pierced through his upper lip, but pain wasn't that feeling – it was just a numb little sensation, a little like a tickle. Daishou spit blood from his mouth when he tasted the sickening, metallic taste, and touched his lip. His hand was instantly covered with blood, and the boy stared at the red liquid blankly. How much time he had before he would get a serious blood loss? He didn't know, since he didn't feel the pain and couldn't say how much his lip bled. The group of boys stared at him eyes wide open with fear, and the two cowards of the squad turned around and ran away.  
"He isn't human!" the other of them screamed as he ran, voice teary and full of fear. Sasaki and Luca were still staring at Daishou, and Sasaki's face twisted into an ugly, disgusted expression.  
"You're a monster", he hushed. "You should go back to Hell where you came from!"

When Daishou came back home, blood still flowing from his lip, all he could see in his mother's eyes was utter fear. Not because the woman would have been concerned or scared of if her son would be okay. No, she was scared just like everyone else who Daishou had met. She feared her own son, feared the monster he had become in her eyes.

The second memory was about his father. "You shouldn't listen to those boys", he had always said with a warm voice. "They don't know you. You are the sweetest boy I have ever known, and you should just show that to the others." He was always understanding, unlike Daishou's mother. She was going crazy and stayed away from her son. Once Daishou had even heard her talking to the phone, telling how she "couldn't do this anymore" and "didn't want a son like him". Daishou's father was the only reason the boy stayed sane.

The fate wasn't on his side this time, either. "Mom, what did they say? Will dad be okay?" Daishou asked, the little voice cracking in the end. The pale woman put her phone down and turned her stare to her son.  
"He… isn't good", she murmured and gulped. "We should go to the hospital."  
"But it was just a little accident", Daishou insisted while following his mother to the door. "Dad is strong, he will be okay-"  
"Everyone isn't like you, Suguru!" his mother suddenly snapped. "Your father is dying, because the painkillers don't help and his body can't stand the pain anymore! That's what happens to normal people if they get in an accident. They do not walk home and calmly ask their parents for plasters. No, they will not be able to move because of the pain! They will die because of the pain. The pain, that you have never felt and therefore could never be like normal people!" Her voice was so toxic and full of anger, that Daishou couldn't answer. The boy was standing on the doorstep, tears flowing down his cheeks. His father was dying and his mother hated him more than anything. The boy sat down when the world started spinning in his head and everything went blank. Daishou grabbed his head with his hands and tried to stable his breath. Dying. His father would never come back home. His heart was aching and he felt awful. The new sensation wasn't cheerful at all, he felt like something was crushing his insides. His legs didn't work. His whole body ached. He hadn't felt this ever before, and now he felt like he couldn't breathe.  
"Looks like even you are able to feel mental pain", his mother's voice barely reached his ears. "It will be better if you don't come to the hospital. That place doesn't need unstable people like you." He heard how she got in the car and drove away. Pain? Was this feeling pain?  
"If this is what pain feels like", Daishou sobbed, "I don't want to feel it ever again!"

After his father passed away, he could stay at the house for three days. Then his mother snapped.  
"Get out!" she screamed and threw Daishou with every possible thing that was on her reach. "Get out of this house! I will not take this anymore! I don't want my son to be a monster like you! Get out of my sight!"  
Alone, betrayed and abandoned, Daishou wandered on the streets. He was feeling numb. He didn't remember much of that time, how he stole food from stores and trashcans and slept wherever it was safe.

The third memory, however, would never fade from his mind. "Hey, aren't you the kid that feels nothing?" The faces of the strangers were anything but friendly. "Do you mind if we… test it a little bit? You could be a good use for us if you really don't feel pain."  
"Leave me alone", Daishou mumbled and tried to walk past the men, but one of them stopped him.  
"Where do you think you're going?" the man snarled. "We asked you nicely. It's really rude to just ignore us."  
"I don't care", Daishou spat. "Just let me be!" He didn't like those men at all. Their eyes were vicious, and the scars running across their faces didn't give a friendly sensation out of them.  
"Just take him, Tony, we don't have enough time for this." Before Daishou could react to the threatening words, strong arms wrapped around him. Daishou kicked and struggled to get free, but the man was way stronger than him. He felt a hit in the back of his head and after that everything went black.

When Daishou regained his consciousness, he was in a dark room. The men were with him. Daishou tried to move, but his hands were tied to the chair he was sitting on.  
"Oh, you finally woke up", one of the men said. "Don't even bother. You will not get anywhere."  
"What do you want?" Daishou snarled. "Let me go!"  
"As we said, we'll just test you a little bit." Shivers went down the boy's spine, when he saw a kettle full of boiling water. "Everything you have to do is sit still and tell if you feel anything."  
"You are insane", Daishou hissed. "I do feel things, you know, just not as strongly as the others."  
"Doesn't matter", the man chuckled. "No matter what you say, we will test you. And if you succeed, we will train you to be a part of us. A fifteen-year-old with no ability to feel pain would be a perfect criminal, don't you think? We will be rich."  
"What if I don't want that?" Daishou stated.  
"That's something we don't ask from you", the man laughed. "Stupid kid, thinking high of himself. Let's see how almighty you are after this."

The sensation of boiling hot water against the skin of his face and shoulder was something Daishou could never forget. He couldn't call it pain, since he didn't know what it felt like. However, when the water burned his skin and faded the sight from his other eye, he could only scream in horror. The feeling was numbing his mind and making him beg for mercy, but the men didn't stop. Instead they poured the boiling water on his left arm, going down to the left side and leg. They laughed like maniacs while listening the boy's screams. The world in Daishou's eyes was turning black while the frightening sensation burned his left side. The last thing the boy heard was how someone broke into the room and opened gunfire.

"His breath is now stable." – "It's a miracle that this boy survived." – "Do you think he is an orphan?" Daishou could make sense of random sentences he barely heard. The boy tried to move his limbs, but his left arm didn't move. He could barely move his left leg, and his right side felt heavy. Daishou groaned quietly and slowly opened his eyes. The light felt blinding, and it took him a while to get used to the bright room.  
"Oh, he's awake!" – "Already?" – "Don't move, it will make your wounds worse!"  
Ignoring the voice, Daishou sat up in the hospital bed and raised his left hand. It was covered in white bandages, which was probably why he couldn't move it a moment ago.  
"You shouldn't sit up." Finally Daishou decided to look at the source of the voices, a group of nurses and doctors. One of them, a young woman with dark hair, was barely a meter away from the boy when she observed him with her bright eyes. "Do you hear me? How are you feeling?"  
"Fine", Daishou could barely make an understandable sound. "I'm fine."  
"No, you're not, young man", the nurse huffed and reached her hands closer Daishou. "May I check your eyes?" Daishou nodded quietly, noticing how difficult it was to move his head. Along with that he noticed that he didn't see with his left eye, but only because it was covered with something. The nurse took the bandages around his head off carefully, and once again the blinding light made Daishou squeeze his left eye shut.  
"So you see with it?" the nurse sounded surprised. "It reacts to light and movement… Does anything look off?"  
"No", Daishou simply said. "I see well."  
"That's surprising", now the speaker was one of the male doctors. He had the name 'Jones' in his name tag. "A miracle, actually. The water should have burned your eye completely, but looks like you had luck. But now, young man, you should really lay down. It must be tiring and paining to sit up with burn scars of that scale."  
"I'm not tired at all", Daishou insisted, since he had gotten the fogginess away from his voice and eyes. "And I'm okay, don't worry."  
"We haven't given you much painkillers yet", Jones stated and frowned a little. "Are you sure you don't need any?"  
"Yup, I don't feel pain anyway." The statement clearly sounded like a joke to the doctors. Only one of them looked at Daishou with a little frown on his face.  
"Daishou? Daishou Suguru?" the blonde man finally said. Daishou flinched a little and gazed the doctor.  
"So it is you", the man laughed a little. "You have really changed. I'm Karlsson, it's nice to finally meet you."  
Daishou looked at the man a while without saying anything, until he finally remembered. "Luca's father?" he murmured. That little shit's father was really a doctor, if he recalled right. Karlsson nodded and gazed his workmates.  
"This boy really doesn't feel almost anything", he said. "He's been like that since birth. Now, I think you should leave, I need to talk to him."  
"Just make sure that he doesn't strain himself", Jones verified. "We've had a few people like him in this country, and all of them died before their twenties."  
After the doctors and nurses had left, Karlsson sat down next to Daishou's bed. "First of all, lay down", the man said with a soothing voice. "You may not feel it, but your body is almost at its limit already." Daishou laid down without insisting any more and tried to relax his muscles.  
"How?" was Karlsson's first question. "I haven't seen you in years, neither has Luca, and now you look like you have been homeless that whole time. How did you end up there?" Daishou knew that 'there' meant the room he was tortured in, and turned his look away from the doctor.  
"I left after dad died", he said quietly. "And those men just kidnapped me without a proper reason. They said they would make me a criminal if I'd stand pain well enough."  
"I'm sorry to hear that", Karlsson sighed. "People should learn to respect you like the others." No need to say sorry, Daishou thought. He wasn't traumatized nor scared of the incident. All he felt was complete anger and disgust. He wanted to hurt those men so badly that they would remember it forever. He wanted to revenge, to make them feel like he had felt while being tied in that damn chair. The last person he wanted to hear a 'sorry' from was the father of the shithead that had made his life awful right from the start. The father that didn't even try to change his son's behavior. He felt rage, he felt like he wanted to punch that man for being so 'understanding' and calm. The hatred from his past had made his mind toxic and he wanted to make the others suffer like he had suffered. He had always tried to be kind and positive, but this was the moment he abandoned that all.  
"Keep your mouth shut", Daishou hissed to the doctor. "I don't want to hear that bullshit anymore. I'm tired of that already."

Months passed in the hospital, Daishou turned sixteen, and finally the day came when he could leave the building. When he was getting ready to leave, the door of his room was knocked.  
"What now?" the boy snapped. He had told the doctors that he would be fine with just one check per day, and didn't want to be bothered any more than that. He hated this place, he hated the people who tried to be kind and faked the smiles on their faces. They could never understand the hatred he felt. Never.  
"You have visitors from military", a calm voice said from behind the door and opened it. The nurse stayed outside, but two men walked past her and stepped into the room. Wait, Daishou thought, the other of them wasn't even a man. He was probably the same age as Daishou was, although right now he looked way older with his well-build body and tanned skin than the thin boy with over-sized hospital clothes.  
"Daishou Suguru", the older one of the men said and nodded to greet him. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Anabara Takaaki. May we talk with you a little?"  
Daishou didn't look at the soldier but kept his eyes on the other one. "And you are?" he murmured skeptically. "Age?"  
"Iwaizumi Hajime", the young man answered without a single hesitation. "Sixteen." So Daishou was right, he really was the same age as him. The boy squinted his eyes and shrugged then.  
"I have a little free time before I leave, so I guess you can talk", Daishou sighed uninterestedly. "What is it? Am I in trouble for some reason?"  
"Nothing like that", Anabara assured and sat down with Iwaizumi. "We came here to offer you a place in our unit. You live on the streets, right? If you don't have a place to go, we can gladly take you to our headquarters."  
Daishou let out a loud laughter. "So now I'm offered a place as a soldier instead of criminal because I don't feel anything?" he spat. "Bullshit. If you don't have anything else to say, you can leave."  
"If I were you, I would watch my language a little bit", Iwaizumi stated before Anabara could say anything. "We are offering you a place to live in. I bet living as a bum isn't sweet? It's not just because of your ability to not feel pain, but because of your behavior. You seem like a fearless – reckless – person, and we would have a good use for that kind of soldier."  
"Iwaizumi, don't-"  
"More than that, you would have a place where you would not be belittled", the tanned soldier continued without caring about Anabara's interruption. "You would get a place where you'd be respected instead of feared. A place where you'd have a chance."  
"I said I'm not interested", Daishou stated, but his eyes were saying otherwise. Iwaizumi clearly saw that and grinned a little.  
"I don't believe you", the soldier said. "You are interested. You have seen Dolls, right? Our duty is to keep them away from civilians. I bet you would like that job. You don't look like a guy who would be satisfied with just wandering on the streets."  
Daishou observed the young soldier carefully with his eyes. Something about him made Daishou feel something he hadn't felt in ages – respect. The man wasn't the same as the others, he didn't try to speak softly and understandingly to Daishou. He was viciously honest and wasn't afraid of insulting the other young man and said just the right things. Daishou really wanted to get a place where he'd belong. And if that mean he could mitigate his hatred by killing Dolls – well, that would be only plus.  
"You got me. Let's see if I like that place or not."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blood was turning the ground red as Daishou pulled his dagger out of Doll's neck. "Why do I remember all of this now?" He had an insane grin on his face and he laughed. Laughed more than he had ever laughed. The memories of his past made the situation feel like a joke. Once he had been the one who got hit and bullied. Now he was the captain of the most feared team of the city's unit, the Suicide Squad. He had made his name known among the soldiers. He had made the others respect him. Still, that wasn't enough to save his pitiful life. He would die here, in the middle of the Dolls, but he didn't mind that. He had killed countless of them in the past. Daishou would never forget the feeling of his first kill. It wasn't regret or disgust as a normal person would have reacted. No, he had felt his remaining sanity fading. He had felt joy. He had found a way to keep himself alive.  
"All of them died before their twenties, eh?" the Snake murmured as he avoided a Doll's claws. "Joke's on you, Mr. doctor, I'm twenty-three." He dug his knife in the attacking Doll's chest and hit it to the ground. Daishou gazed over his shoulder to the direction Iwaizumi and Kuroo had retreated. In an instant he regretted letting his attention slip, when a Doll dug its teeth in his leg.  
"You little shit", the Snake spat and shot the Doll. His vision was getting blurry, and he couldn't even guess how many wounds he had. He had gotten bites, too, and ten minutes had almost passed already. However, Daishou remained calm. He didn't have a single regret. He had gotten a squad that wasn't just a team for him. The ones he could actually consider as his friends were safe, so he didn't have to fear death.  
Daishou's head started aching, and his limbs became heavy. The Snake shot one last Doll before raising the gun to press it against his own head. He couldn't be sure that the Dolls would kill him, and he wasn't going to take a risk of becoming one. "Wait just a little bit, Futakuchi, I'll follow you in a second", Daishou uttered a short laughter. "I hope I was a good use for your precious unit. You better keep my squad safe, vice-captain."

Iwaizumi flinched when he heard a loud gunshot once again, and he turned around to look at the direction they came from.  
"Hey, we aren't safe just yet", Kuroo huffed. "Keep walking."  
"Sure", Iwaizumi murmured, but didn't move. That shot was somehow different. It felt so final. Iwaizumi raised his hand to make a salute as a small glimpse of sorrow appeared to his eyes.  
"Farewell, Daishou. You fought well." 


	19. Chapter 19

When Iwaizumi opened his eyes, he wasn't where he thought he would be. The vice-captain quickly sat up on the bed, looking around himself in confuse. He was in the surgery room. The brunet groaned quietly when his body started aching basically everywhere as he tried to remember what had happened. He was retreating with Kuroo, they were almost at the headquarters, but that's where his memories stopped.  
"Ah, you woke up." The sudden voice spooked him, and he turned his head to see who was talking. It was Yachi, sitting on the chair near the door. Iwaizumi hadn't noticed her. "Don't move, I need to check the stitches."  
The blonde walked next to the bed and signed Iwaizumi to turn his back for her. "You passed out", she explained while observing the vice-captain's back. "Kuroo wasn't pleased, he had to carry both you and Daichi here." A shadow appeared in Iwaizumi's eyes when he remembered his fallen comrade. Now that the adrenaline had faded from his veins, the sorrow felt like a heavy stone on the top of his heart.  
"Is everyone here?" the brunet asked with a raspy voice. "How's Suga?"  
"Sugawara is resting right now", Yachi told him, and Iwaizumi could hear the sadness in her quiet voice. "I think everyone else is here. At least Kageyama said so. No one else besides Bokuto is in danger anymore, although Yaku has quite deep cut in his chest and all the others have bad wounds, too. No losses besides Daichi, Futakuchi and Daishou."  
Iwaizumi didn't answer the medic's statements in any way, and stayed quiet while Yachi ran his hand across his back, checking all the little injuries he had there. He just didn't find anything to say. They were lucky to get out of there with just three dead, but he couldn't say he was happy about the losses. It was almost funny how they left to just track down the animal Dolls, but came back broken and defeated by the largest pack of Dolls they had ever came across. "So Bo is still unconscious?" he asked after a moment of heavy silence. Yachi's hand stopped, and for a while the blonde didn't say anything.  
"Yea", she finally sighed. "To be honest I'm kinda worried. I'm positive that he will survive, but the back injury he got back then might have gotten worse because of this. I don't know if he will recover or not."  
"That's not a good thing to hear from you", Iwaizumi stated and sighed. Yachi was always the most positive one of the medics, so Bokuto was in really bad shape. "Means that we basically lost three captains, eh? It will take a while for the unit to recover."  
"Snakes will be fine", Yachi noted. "And Crows have Kageyama. The Owls are the problem."  
"Akaashi isn't suited to be a captain, you are right", Iwaizumi agreed. "And Matsukawa and Hanamaki are still newbies here. I think they have to go without a captain until Mattsun is experienced enough to take that position."  
"Will Akaashi be fine, though?" Yachi wondered with a concerned tone in her voice. "You have to tell Hanamaki and Matsukawa, Iwaizumi. Akaashi needs support if he is going to lead any of their patrols."  
"You are right", the vice-captain sighed. "But I bet Tooru will tell them anyway, if he hasn't already."

"Is Kenma here?" Oikawa's look turned from the door of the surgery room to the raven-haired leader who was staring at him with concern in his eyes.  
"No", he answered Kuroo's question. "I thought he was with you. Everyone else is here except Tsukishima. That four-eyes is probably somewhere sleeping", the brunet snarled sarcastically and shrugged. "Why? You lost him?"  
"Fuck", Kuroo whispered under his breath. "Tsukishima isn't here either? Kageyama!" the leader called the Crow. "Did you see Kenma or Tsukishima on your way here?"  
"No, why?" the soldier answered confusedly. "Tsukishima was at the headquarters and so was Kenma, right?"  
"They were supposed to bring us more antibiotics." Oikawa flinched slightly to Kuroo's statement. "Now I can't find either of them." The leader ran his fingers through his hair and was clearly trying to get his thoughts together. "Neither of you is badly injured, right? We need to go find them right now."  
The sniper quickly gazed the surgery room again, wondering if he should inform Iwaizumi about this first. He was concerned about the vice-captain's health and wasn't sure if he was awake at all. The last thing Oikawa wanted to do was worry the other brunet even more. He turned his look back to Kuroo and nodded.  
"You are right. We should go now."

The atmosphere was heavy when the three soldiers walked onwards with their guards up, trying to track any movements from the street. Kuroo was still trying to reach Kenma's radiophone, while Kageyama tried to contact Tsukishima. Neither of them had answered. Oikawa gazed Kuroo once in a while to make sure the leader was still sane. The sniper had never seen him like this, although he had interacted with Kuroo way more than the other soldiers since they were teammates. Kenma was Kuroo's childhood friend – that's how he ended up here in the first place – and Oikawa could only imagine the fear his leader felt now. No matter how much you prepared or trained yourself, losing a friend was something that could never be belittled.  
"Pick up", Kuroo mumbled as he held his phone with slightly shaking hands. "Please, pick up, Kenma." He was now trying to reach the strategist's mobile phone, clearly without a hoped result.  
"Dolls in the left", Kageyama stated and made Kuroo's attention turn to the abandoned, large building with sealed windows and broken door. "They don't seem to care about us."  
Oikawa could see how Kuroo's eyes widened, and in a next heartbeat the leader was running towards the Dolls.  
"Follow!" the raven-haired soldier ordered the other two. Oikawa quickly gazed Kageyama, who seemed just as lost as he was, so the two followed their leader without questions. It was careless to attack Dolls with just three men. Did Kuroo see something that reasoned his actions?  
Kuroo had opened fire, shooting the Dolls without hesitation. Oikawa and Kageyama didn't even have time to load their guns before the leader had already killed all seven Dolls there was. Oikawa crouched down next to one of the corpses, recognizing his old familiar from Street 14. The sniper gulped and closed the man's eyes with care, not letting himself think about it. Kuroo had ran to the corner of the dark room, and Oikawa's blood froze when he heard the leader let out a miserable wail.  
"Kenma, open your eyes, please!" Oikawa was on his feet in an instant, hurrying to his leader. Kageyama was standing only few meters from him, and Oikawa recognized Tsukishima's body laying on the ground next to him. Kuroo held Kenma's head with his hands, trying to get him open his eyes. A nauseous feeling rose to Oikawa's throat when he saw the strategist's face. It was covered in blood, but even then Oikawa could tell it was partly eaten. His side was ripped open and the whole body was full of cruel wounds. Kuroo held his forehead against Kenma's bloody cheek without caring about the blood that made his hair sticky. The leader was crying. Tears were flowing down his cheeks, but he didn't make a slightest sound.  
"You didn't deserve to be killed", Oikawa could barely hear him whisper with a shaking voice. "Not like this. Not because of my command."  
Oikawa turned his horrified look to Kageyama, who was still searching for marks of life from his teammate. Tsukishima looked just as miserable as Kenma, and Oikawa had to turn his eyes away. He didn't want to know what had happened here.  
A sudden cough made the sniper flinch, and his gaze turned back to Tsukishima.  
"Kuroo, he's alive", Kageyama said surprisingly calmly. "Do you have bandages, Oikawa?"  
"I do", the brunet aspirated and took off his back bag, taking out the gauzes and one antibiotic and tossed them to the Crow.  
"Don't move", he heard Kageyama mumble to Tsukishima. "You'll be alright."  
"Oikawa, contact the unit", Kuroo said. His voice was dangerously numb and quiet. "Tell the medics to prepare. We'll be there in five minutes."  
Oikawa nodded and took his radiophone, pressing the white button that connected him to the headquarters' loudspeakers. "The medical treatment team, do you hear me? We found Tsukishima and Kenma badly injured and will be back in five minutes. Please get ready, the situation is serious." The brunet cut off the line and glanced Kageyama and Tsukishima. Tsukishima's chest was rising slightly in time of the hasty breaths, and he looked unconscious. However, the blond tilted his head a little and opened his left eye slightly, clearly trying to find someone.  
"Kuroo?" Tsukishima's voice was almost unidentifiable and hoarse. "I'm… Sorry."  
The leader turned his head to look at the tall soldier, and after a slight moment of heavy silence he shook his head.  
"No. This isn't your fault. Don't talk, you need to rest", Kuroo said quietly without looking at Tsukishima. Oikawa looked at the leader with worry in his eyes. All he could see in Kuroo's look was self-hatred. The leader blamed himself. Shivers went down Oikawa's spine. Self-hatred was something a soldier should never feel if he wanted to stay sane, and now Kuroo was in that state. Oikawa needed to talk to Iwaizumi as soon as possible.

"And I thought Bokuto was in bad shape. This is horrible." Oikawa nodded slightly to Yachi's quiet statement. The medic was checking his wounds, which were almost nonexistent compared to the others'. "I really wish Tsukishima will be okay."  
"Yeah", the brunet murmured. "I wonder how Kageyama is feeling. He's basically the only one in his team that is still alright."  
"Kageyama is a strong soldier, but losing a captain has clearly affected him", Yachi noted. "I hope Iwaizumi will get everything under control before the whole unit falls apart."  
"Hajime needs to rest instead of worrying himself more", Oikawa mumbled and sighed. "Were his wounds bad?"  
"Not fatal", Yachi told after a moment of slight hesitation. "But I agree with you, he needs rest. He can't just leave this be, though. The unit needs him more than anything right now, since even Kuroo is unable to lead us." The medic patted Oikawa's back and smiled half-heartedly. "I think you are completely alright. Luckily this didn't affect your prosthesis at all."  
"I'm glad to hear that", the sniper sighed in relief as he stood up. "Thank you, Yachi. You should probably go help Kiyoko and Take-chan now."  
Yachi nodded shortly. "Take care of yourself. See ya", she said.  
"Same goes to you."

When Oikawa stepped out of the medics' room, he almost collided with Ennoshita. The captain was on the edge of a loud crowd of soldiers, who tried to get their own voices above the noise. In the middle of the unamused mass was Iwaizumi, who clearly was on the edge of snapping.  
"How are we going to keep going now?" – "Where is Kuroo? This was his idea!" – "You just left Daishou there, didn't you?" – "How will we work without a strategist?"  
"Silence!" Iwaizumi's voice rose above everyone else's. The word was surprisingly effective, and the demanding voices changed to unamused looks. Iwaizumi took a deep breath and sighed. He was clearly tired, and Oikawa could see how foggy his eyes looked.  
"Firstly. If anyone dares to blame Kuroo of this anymore, they will be in every single patrol and hunt for next three weeks", the vice-captain started. "Kuroo did nothing wrong. He did only what he should've. The animal Dolls were a threat that we needed to remove, so there was nothing else he could've done. We only had bad luck with us. In fact, if everyone would've not been on move today and the pack would have attacked a single patrol, we wouldn't have gotten away with just four deaths." Iwaizumi's voice was cold and calm, and no soldier dared to interrupt him. "Secondly. Tanaka and Terushima, you have all rights to be angry, but Daishou made his own decision. He chose to save you but kept his pride and fought until the end. Respect that and stop complaining. Thirdly", the brunet inhaled deeply and let out a sigh again. "Do not bother Kuroo or Sugawara at all. They need rest. I will talk to every team separately and decide how we will move on then."  
"How we will move on?" Shirabu repeated. "You think we can just let this go? We lost four men, Iwaizumi, three of them from leading positions of this unit. On the top of that our precious leader seems to be too deep in his thoughts to lead us, so we just need to count on your decisions. Can we trust you with that?"  
"You don't have any reason to question Iwaizumi, Shirabu", Akaashi stated and gazed the other sniper. "Has he ever led us wrong?"  
"If he hadn't, we wouldn't have lost any men this year!"  
"Enough already!" Iwaizumi snapped. "Shirabu, I don't care if you trust me or not, but do you seriously think that we could survive in a war without any losses? You have been here less than a year, and you clearly don't have a slightest clue about the life in a military." Oikawa flinched slightly. Iwaizumi was pissed. Really pissed.  
"You all came here with the information of this place. You knew what this would be. You didn't know about the Dolls, but you were told that this was something completely different than the other battlefields. Yet you came here without hesitation." The vice-captain was staring right into Shirabu's eyes. "Don't you dare to tell me that deaths could be avoided in a war. If you can say that with a straight face, you can leave. You clearly don't know what this can be at its worst."  
"Are you trying to tell me that this isn't the worst?" Shirabu was also pissed, but he seemed like he was looking for a fight. "You are being so fucking arrogant it's making me sick."  
This time Iwaizumi didn't answer right away. He just stared at the sniper, eyes not giving any glimpse of emotions. "Tell me then. If four deaths is the worst you can think of, why do you think this unit has only young soldiers? Where are the older ones?"  
"Hajime!" Oikawa aspirated and gazed Akaashi, who had tensed and had a spooked look in his dark eyes. "That's enough! Shirabu doesn't know what happened, so that was unnecessary!"  
Iwaizumi turned his eyes from Shirabu to the other sniper, and now Oikawa could see regret in his unclear eyes. "Ah. Sorry about that, Keiji. I didn't mean to." The raven shook his head and sighed.  
"It's nothing. Shirabu, you should really think what you are saying. Iwaizumi is doing his best, and so is Kuroo. Now leave him be and give him some time to think things through."  
Shirabu looked at the other sniper for a while, but the heavy atmosphere affected even him, and he nodded slightly.  
"Thank you", Iwaizumi mumbled to Akaashi and turned to talk to everyone again. "I will start from Crows, who are in the most difficult state right now. Basically it's just Kageyama. Can you come talk with me for a sec?"  
"Sure", the raven-haired man said and nodded. Iwaizumi thanked him and was quiet for a while.  
"I hope everyone thinks carefully who they blame about this. There's no way we could've avoided this, so please don't blame anyone." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed quietly. "I will talk with Kuroo after I have finished talking with all the teams. We will probably get new soldiers, so this won't affect our mission, but despite that I don't think we should do anything tomorrow. Get yourselves together and rest. Yachi is free at the moment, so if someone still has an injury she hasn't checked, go find her now. We are done for today." The soldiers started to leave the hall, and Oikawa saw how Iwaizumi signed him to come with him and Kageyama.  
"I will talk with Owls after Kageyama", Iwaizumi said as they walked through the room. "I think you should talk with Mattsun and Makki before that. Tell them about Keiji. You know what things they need to know so they can support him during patrols if Bo won't recover." Oikawa nodded slightly and let the two soldiers get into Iwaizumi's office while he headed to the two newbies.  
"Makki, Mattsun, do you have time?"  
"Sure, that's all we have right now", Hanamaki laughed shortly. "Why? Want us to kick Shirabu's ass for being so cocky to the vice-cap?"  
"That would be a waste of time", Oikawa huffed. "I need to talk to you two. It's about Akaashi."  
"He will be our captain for a while, right?" Matsukawa stated and shrugged softly. "I don't mind that, since we both are too new here to get that place."  
"That's why you need to know a few things", Oikawa said and signed the two to follow him. They went outside, to the Hill, and sat down on the snow.  
"Firstly, Akaashi is a really strong person", the brunet started. "What I'm about to tell might make it look otherwise, but he can take care of himself and isn't weak at all. He is an ideal leader, to be honest. He just needs a little support in some things. You can't tell these things to the others, only I, Hajime, Bokuto and Kuroo know them."  
"You are making us curious", Matsukawa chuckled. "Come on, tell us."  
Oikawa played with his fingers, trying to find the right words. "When you're patrolling, the other one of you two needs to stay on Akaashi's right side all the time. His right eye is blind."  
"He's a sniper", Hanamaki aspirated. "How is that possible? It doesn't show at all!"  
"Ukai made him a special gun that makes aiming with poor eyesight possible", Oikawa told and leaned back, looking at the dark sky. "He might have some problems with perceiving depths at some times, but he hasn't shot wrong in two years. He is trustworthy with his gun, don't worry."  
"So we need to take care of the right side in patrols", Matsukawa repeated. "Got it. Something else?"  
"That was the easiest thing", Oikawa laughed half-heartedly. "He has some… traumas, just like Hajime does. If he ever looks dozed off or spooked of something random, that might be it. Be understanding with him. The easier trauma is from four and half years ago, from the time Hajime just mentioned." The sniper fell silent for a second. "I wasn't here then so I don't know about it well, but I think both Hajime and Akaashi haven't gotten over it properly. The Dolls killed almost all of the unit of that time at once. Only the kids – Hajime, Akaashi and Daishou – Ukai and their boss survived because they weren't there. They found the unit killed the next day. For Hajime, I think that triggered his old trauma of his parent's death, so even when he seems to be over it, I bet it reminds him of his family every time." When Oikawa saw the other two's confused faces, he uttered an embarrassed laughter.  
"Ah, sorry. You don't know about it", he apologized. "Hajime and Akaashi are the ones who have been here the longest. Both of them are a horrible example of what a life in military does to young people. Their traumas haven't healed at all, when they are in a place where they are reminded of their past all the time." The brunet leaned back forward on his hand. "For Hajime, the worst thing was his family's death when he was thirteen. Dolls killed his parents and two sisters. Ukai found him and brought him to the headquarters. That's why he has been acting like an air-head from time to time."  
Oikawa was quiet again, this time a little bit longer. "For Akaashi, the worst thing was his whole past. He can't kill children, no matter what, and he is afraid of older men, around twenty years older than him. When you are in a patrol and have to talk with civilians, please talk instead of him if the civilian is a man older than him."  
"That sounds strange", Hanamaki noted. "Every old man and only men?"  
"I think Ukai is the only one he doesn't fear", Oikawa told. "And yes, only men."  
"So no talking to men and no killing children", Matsukawa repeated again. "Do you… know the reason for that?"  
Oikawa gazed the headquarters by a reflex, and hesitated for a moment.  
"I do, and I really wish I was allowed to tell it", he mumbled. "Akaashi's father abused him and made him kill his younger sister."


	20. Chapter 20

"Dad, why is Mom sick again?" The oldest boy was the only one of the siblings that was brave enough to talk. "Will Mom be okay?"  
The man raised his look from the alcohol bottle and stared his son, eyes glowing in the shady room. He didn't say anything. The stare made shivers go down the boy's spine, and his sisters were trembling. Their father had never been like this. He had been drunk, but he had never been this scary. From the moment their mother was hospitalized once again because of health problems, their father had acted strange.  
"Keiji", his father said his name with a low, threatening voice. "Do you have any idea why your mother is like that?"  
"No", the boy answered and gulped. "That's why I asked. We want to know."  
"I'll tell you, then", the man mumbled and stood up from his seat. "It was because your mother wasn't able to rest. It was because of you. You were too much trouble for her."  
"Then why you didn't tell us? Why you were always drunk and didn't help her?"  
The hit that followed the boy's careful question wasn't father-like, it wasn't just a slight slap Akaashi had gotten countless of times from his mother when he had been rebellious, it wasn't a way of education or raising children. It was a strong hit with all his father got, and it made the boy yelp and fall to the floor. His sisters, Yuki and Miku screamed and ran out of the room, leaving their big brother behind.  
"Don't you fucking dare to say anything like that to me, Keiji", his father snarled and grabbed the boy from his shirt's collar. "It was all your fucking fault. You are the reason Mary is now dead!"  
"Mom is… dead?" the six-year-old boy whispered. His eyes were already full of tears of pain, but now they changed to the tears of sorrow, starting to stream down his face. "You said she was only sick!"  
"She was. She died yesterday because of heart failure. And guess what? It was because of you. She died because of you!" His father's breath stank strongly of alcohol and his voice was a little unclear, and Akaashi knew he was drunk. His back hit the floor and the boy let out a pained cry again when his father threw him down. The boy tried to get up, but before he could do that his father hit him again. And again. And again…  
"Dad, please stop!" the boy cried when the man continued hitting him countless of times. "Please! It hurts!"  
The man didn't answer, but he didn't stop, either. Akaashi could only cry and try to get away while his father kicked his sides, hit his face and pulled his hair. The hits weren't as powerful as they could've been, but they hurt the boy nonetheless.  
"You made her cry every night. You made her tired. You were the reason she started passing out. You were the fucking reason for all of that! All three of you!" his father growled and kicked his stomach one last time before leaving the crying boy laying to the ground as he walked back to his bottle and took a draught.  
"I… didn't mean to", Akaashi cried and held his stomach with his hands, trying to get the nauseous feeling out of his throat. "Neither did… Miku and Yuki." His body was aching horribly and he could only lay there, trying to keep himself conscious. "I'm sorry, Dad."  
"Sorry? So you're fucking sorry? That can't bring Mary back, you little shit! Do you think you will be fine just saying you're sorry?" The man collapsed to the chair again and buried his face to his hands. "Get out. Get the fuck out right now."  
Akaashi tried to get up, but he fell back down to his side when the strength disappeared from his aching legs and arms. "I can't, Dad, it hurts", he cried. "I will not bother you, please let me stay."  
"You fucking worthless crybaby", his father groaned and stood up again. The man grabbed Akaashi from his collar again, dragged him to the door and threw him against the opposite wall. The boy didn't have strength to even whine anymore, and he fell to the floor motionless, without a single sound. His father slammed the door shut, leaving his son laying there. Akaashi gripped his sides and tried to get the pain away. Tears were flowing down his face as he laid there, alone and abandoned. He was hurting so much, but he wanted his father to get him up and treat him. He wanted his father to be normal again, not drunk and scary.  
And after all that, he still trusted that his father would be normal and trustworthy again.

"Keiji, did Dad do that?" Miku whimpered and touched her brother's cheek carefully. It was swollen and almost purple from the hits yesterday. The boy flinched and avoided the touch a little.  
"Yea", he murmured. "But I'm sure he won't do that anymore. He was just drunk and sad."  
"But Mom has been sick before and he has been fine with it", Yuki said and gazed over her shoulder, scared if anyone heard them. "He hurt you, right? Why did Dad do that?"  
Akaashi gulped. How could he tell his sisters that their mother was dead? He had been able to stand the sorrow somehow, since he was way more independent than the boys of his age usually where due taking care of his sisters when their mother was sick. Still, the reminding of that his mother was gone was too much for him. Only the thought of it made his eyes water, and of course the two girls noticed that.  
"Keiji! Is it still hurting? Are you okay?"  
"Yuki, Miku…" he whispered. "Mom isn't with us anymore. She's in heaven now."

Akaashi's hopes from the better did not come true. His father was drunk all the time, and every time Akaashi ended up with more bruises. He was almost getting used to it, since it was nothing as bad as the first time had been. However, he couldn't know it was only going to get worse.  
"Dad, leave Yuki alone!" Akaashi yelled and ran between his sister and father, who had just hit the girl to the face. "She hasn't done anything!"  
"Just like you, huh?" the man snarled. He didn't stink of alcohol, his movements were quick and normal. He wasn't drunk, so Akaashi thought he would be fine. Those hopes scattered when the man grabbed his neck and raised him up two feet from the ground.  
"You think you're fucking funny?" the man snarled. "You aren't innocent, anything but that!"  
Akaashi gagged and tried to get air while his father's hand was squeezing his neck. The grip was strong and merciless, and it made breathing almost impossible. When the boy felt like he was going to pass out from the lack of air, his father released his grip and left him fall to the floor. Akaashi gasped for air and coughed, feeling the strength slowly flowing back to his veins. Yuki was hiding behind him and was trembling, staring their father eyes full of fear.  
"Keiji", she squeaked. "Are you okay?"  
The boy didn't have time to answer when something hit his head and he fell sideward. He could barely hear how Yuki screamed in horror since his mind was spinning from the strength of the impact. His father had an old bottle in his hand, and he dropped it to forcefully grab Akaashi's arm.  
"You better shut your mouth already", the man snarled and dragged Akaashi away from Yuki. The boy didn't have time to stand up, and he just dragged aback his father, the wooden floor scratching his legs.  
"You need to learn a lesson", his father murmured as he released his grip and closed the door behind him.  
"Dad, why?" Akaashi whimpered. "Why are you doing this if you aren't drunk?"  
"Did you seriously think I'd hit you only when I'm drunk?" The laugh the man let out was vicious-sounding and made Akaashi shiver. "No. I've always hated you three. I never wanted kids. Truth to be told, you, Keiji, aren't even my kid, and that's why I hate you the most. Your mother was always protecting you. But she died because of you. Now I can revenge all that pain you caused her and me."  
The next thing Akaashi noticed was a strong impact to his chest with a piece of wood. "You are a spawn of a rapist and I will revenge what your filthy father did to my wife." He didn't give the boy time to think or speak when he hit him again with the piece of wood he got. "I will not let you go easily! I will make you pay for your father's sins. You will follow my every order or I will kill every one of you!" Akaashi let out a helpless cry when he got hit again. His mind was going blank, and he felt like his heart was going to explode. He needed time to think about what his father had just told, but every time he tried to get his thoughts in order, a strong hit and a pain after that made his mind a complete mess. Akaashi tried to breathe, but his lungs felt like they were being crushed. The man in front of him beat him with the wooden piece without any mercy, still carefully avoiding causing anything fatal. He wanted to make Akaashi suffer.  
And all that was just the beginning for the little boy's Hell.

The first day of school was awful for Akaashi. Everyone was staring at him and his bruises and scars, and the boy wanted to go home. The disgusted looks and vicious whispers behind his back almost made him lose his mind. No one wanted to help or ask what was wrong. He was just the different boy in the class, the one that would always be left out. The seven-year-old boy didn't have the courage to tell, either. His father had made sure of that.  
"Remember that Miku and Yuki are still here", he had said. That was enough for Akaashi to know what he meant. The man would make the two girls suffer if Akaashi would tell anyone. He had familiars here, he remembered many kids from the time his mother was still here and he went to the park with her. Akaashi had seen the other kids. But he was never able to play with them, since he was from a low-class family. Different. That's what he was, so no one cared about his problems. Even the teachers stayed away from him, and the boy assumed his father had told something about him to them, lied to them to make them leave Akaashi alone.  
After the first lesson one of the teachers came talk to him. She was an old lady who taught English to him. "Hi, Keiji, how are you feeling?" The boy stared at her for a long while, not saying anything. He didn't know what he should've said. I'm not feeling well, my father hits me all the time and threatens my sisters?  
"Fine", he finally mumbled and lowered his look back to his hands. The teacher sat next to him and looked at him with an encouraging smile on her face.  
"I know it's difficult", she said. "Your mother was a beautiful young woman. We all miss her. Your father told me how hard it has been for you. I just want you to know that we are here for you, and that you shouldn't hurt yourself. It's never the right thing to do." So that's what his father has told everyone.  
"…Okay", Akaashi whispered after a slight moment of awkward silence. He wanted to tell, he wanted to tell the truth more than anything. But the fear of his father hurting his sisters was too strong.

The back of Akaashi's head hit the corner of the table and he let out a helpless cry, collapsing to the floor as a trembling mess.  
"I told you to not talk to anyone!" his father growled. "What if they'd figured out the reason behind your wounds? I would be in a deep shit for that, you worthless crybaby!"  
"I didn't tell them, I promise!" Akaashi whined. "I said two words for her! I promise, Dad, I did not tell anything!" The man had walked to his son and raised him from the collar of his shirt.  
"I didn't ask you if you told or not", the man hissed. "People can figure out even if you wouldn't speak, you idiot! Do you want me to go to prison? Leave you and your sisters here all alone, without food or money?" He threw Akaashi down and the boy yelped again when his head hit the floor. "You won't be going there tomorrow. It was not a good idea in the first place to let you go to school. Slaves don't need education anyway. You hear me?" the man grabbed Akaashi's head and turned it so the boy would look at him. "You are worthless. You don't need school. You'll stay here and do everything I tell you to. And don't call me your dad, you little shit. I would never be a father for your kind."  
"What have I done wrong?" Akaashi yelled as tears streamed down his cheeks. "If you hate my real father, you should find him and beat him! I haven't done anything!" The boy regretted his words instantly when he felt a strong hit on the side of his face and fell on his back. His father stared at him with burning eyes, which didn't show any other emotions than hatred. He had gone insane.  
"You. Will. Not. Talk to me", the man snarled. "Or do I have to go and get Miku? Or Yuki?"  
"No!" Akaashi aspirated struggled to get back on his feet. "Please! Don't do anything to them!"  
"Then you'll do as you're told." His father grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to meet the boy's tearful eyes again. "You have disgusting eyes and hair. Grey and black – just like your filthy father." He slapped the boy's head forcefully and let out an annoyed 'tsk'. "Stop crying already! I'm tired of that!"  
Akaashi did his best to dry the stream of tears, but his body was hurting everywhere and he couldn't help crying. His father looked at the boy and sighed overdramatically.  
"You are just a crybaby. Listen, Keiji. If you dare to cry or whine ever again, I will make your sisters cry with you. I'm tired of your disgusting voice." After that the man left the room, leaving the kid on the floor alone. Akaashi held his head with his hands, trying to get the throbbing headache away. His shoulders were shaking in time with heartbreaking sobs, and he felt abandoned and worthless.  
"Big brother…?" A small voice from the door reached Akaashi's ears. He raised his head to see Miku, who was peeking to the room on the doorstep, eyes full of fear. "Are you crying? Did Dad hurt you again?"  
The boy forced himself to stop crying, since he didn't want to worry Miku any more than necessary. "I'm fine, Miku, don't worry", Akaashi assured and gave her a weak smile. "I don't mind this as long as you and Yuki are safe."  
The girl walked carefully to his brother, glancing around her in fear of their father, and kneeled down next to him. She had a small package with her.  
"Hope this helps", she mumbled and took out a bunch of plasters and different antibacterial things that Akaashi didn't know the name of and started cleaning his wounds. His body was full of small cuts and bruises, and the biggest wound was the one in the side of his head. Miku went them all through carefully and bandaged them. Akaashi was surprised that she was so skillful, since she was only five. She was way more independent than her twin or the kids her age – just like Akaashi. The boy thought that that was one of the reasons they were still alive.  
"Thank you, Miku."  
"We should tell someone", the girl whispered. "You'll get badly hurt if this keeps up."  
"I'm fine, really", Akaashi repeated. "It's okay. He will hurt you and Yuki if I tell. He doesn't want to kill me for some reason, so I'll be fine."  
Miku stared at him for a while, tears glistening in her big eyes. "Okay." 

"Bring me a coffee!" Akaashi ran to the kitchen when his father's angry order echoed in the rooms. His sides were hurting and he was limping, but he should be quick so he wouldn't get hit again. The worst was the aching in his ear, since his father had made two piercings in his left earlobe with a needle. He had said that those two small rings were the sign of Akaashi's slavery. As long as he had those earrings, he would never disobey his father.  
He made a cup of coffee and carried it to the table in front of his father. The man gazed the boy angrily but didn't say anything, just took a sip of his cup. Suddenly, he spat all the coffee out.  
"This is too bitter, you little shit!" the man growled and spun around on his chair to slap Akaashi's cheek. "Get another one – and don't mess it up this time!" Akaashi nodded quietly, pain throbbing in his cheek, and limped back to the kitchen. He was basically a slave. He needed to do everything his father wanted so Yuki and Miku would stay safe. He was dropped out of the school, and he hadn't exited the house for months. No one had been looking for him, he had basically disappeared from the society. He spent his nights crying, not daring to let the tears out in front of his father. He was living in a Hell, but he didn't complain as long as his sisters were okay.

After Miku and Yuki turned seven, they asked if they could go to school. "We aren't like Keiji, right?" Miku asked quietly. "We should have the right to go." The boy knew his sister didn't want to be mean, but her words made him shiver nonetheless. Miku and Yuki were the real kids of this family, he was just a result of a crime.  
"No", their father answered without a second of hesitation. "None of you will exit this house anymore. You better just forget everything that's outside."  
"Why?" Miku raised his voice a little and Akaashi stiffened, ready to help his sister if their father would get angry. The man was drunk again, so he was even more unpredictable than usually. "Why can't we, Dad? Mom would have let us! Mom would have treated us better than you!"  
Akaashi didn't even have to look at his father to know what was going to happen. The boy jumped in between his father and sister and instantly felt a strong impact on his head. Miku let out a surprised, horrified sound and Yuki tried her best to stay quiet, tears of fear in the corners of her eyes.  
"Out of the way!" the man hissed to Akaashi. "This has nothing to do with you!"  
"Don't hurt her, please!" the boy pleaded. "She's not wrong at all! Can't you just let them go, they aren't like me!"  
"Don't you dare to speak to me!" his father yelled and hit the boy to the side, making him fall to the floor in pain. "This girl did a mistake, and she will pay for it."  
The man's strong hand grabbed the girl's head and turned the tearful eyes towards himself. "Or what would you say, sweetie? Disobeying your dad like that, hm?"  
Then, too quickly for Akaashi to react, the man hit the girl's face with all he got. Miku fell to the floor and before she could get up, her father kicked her sides.  
"You better learn to listen to me!" the man shouted while kicking the screaming girl again and again. Akaashi watched in horror and tried to find a way to stop this. His father didn't even see him right now, so it would be no use to try to stop him. Akaashi struggled to get on his feet and gazed the front door. That was the only way, although he would get himself in deep trouble. He would search for help or get his father away from Miku while trying to do so. The boy ran to the door and turned the knob, making his father's attention turn to him.  
"Keiji!" he shouted voice full of anger when the boy ran out of the door. Akaashi tried not to think of his hurting body when he ran down the stairs and almost tripped on the trash piles on the streetway. He heard his father's yells loud and clear, but didn't dare to look back to see him. The boy ran as quickly as he could and tried to find someone. The street was empty and the sky was dark, and the only light came from the partly broken street lamps decorating the edges of the streets.  
"Help!" he yelled but didn't even cool down his running pace. "Someone! Help!" He tasted blood in his mouth and his legs felt like burning, but he kept going without looking back. He still heard his father's steps, getting closer little by little. Finally Akaashi saw a group of three people in front of him. The boy ran to them and stopped, panting and clutching on his sides.  
"Help me", he panted. "Please! He'll kill us!"  
"Whoa whoa, take a little break, would you?" one of the people, a short man laughed. "What is it? Who is going to kill you?"  
Akaashi didn't have time to answer when someone grabbed his hair and made him yelp in pain. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, this boy is a little lost", his father's calm and innocent-sounding voice said. The man lowered his head to Akaashi's level and grinned evilly. "Or what would you say, Keiji?"  
"No", the boy whimpered. "Let me go! You have only abused us for two years, I want it to end!"  
"So this is the brat you've been talking about, Ryan." Akaashi felt his heart skip a beat when one of the men called his father by his first name. "He really looks disgusting. A child of a rapist, eh?" The boy felt a strong hit on his cheek and looked at the man who had just hit him in horror. The man only grinned evilly and laughed.  
"Do what you want with him, Ryan. The world doesn't need people like him. Filthy. Unnatural. Disgusting."  
The words echoed in Akaashi's head when his father dragged him away from the three men. Filthy. He was worthless and worse than the others. Unnatural. His dad wasn't his real father, he's a result of a crime. Disgusting. He was different from the others and deserved to die.

That's when it hit Akaashi for real. The world that had grown with his father's lies saw the boy as the most disgusting thing that had ever existed, the boy that didn't deserve help. The people were all the same. They hated him. He was worthless, unimportant, liar…

He didn't matter.

"Say, Keiji, what would be a good punishment for you?" the man's growl woke the boy from his thoughts. "You deserve something really good… You disobeyed me for the last time. I will make sure you won't do it again." He threw Akaashi on the floor of the living room and made him let out a pained cry. Yuki and Miku had already locked themselves to some other room to be safe from their father, and now all Akaashi could do was fear for his own health. His father's eyes were glowing dangerously and the man grinned. It was the evilest face Akaashi had ever seen, and his blood froze in his veins.  
"Oh, I know", the man chuckled and suddenly wrapped a strong leather leash around the boy's neck, tying it so tightly that Akaashi couldn't breathe properly. The man walked to the other side of the room, dragging Akaashi after him. The boy gagged and tried to breathe when the leash tightened around his neck and excoriated his skin, making the tears of pain appear in the corners of his eyes. His father opened one of his cupboards, taking out a small bottle. Shivers went down Akaashi's spine when he saw the text in the bottle. Hydrogen cyanide. The man let out a sadistic laugh and the grin didn't fade from his face.  
"Slaves don't need their both eyes, right?"

Akaashi's fingers brushed the corner of his right eye slightly, running down to the scar around his neck. He sighed and turned his face away from the mirror. It had been three years ago, but he could never forget the pain his father caused him by dropping hydrogen cyanide in his eye, drop by drop, enjoying when the boy had screamed in pain. The eye was now foggy and grey, and he would never be able to see with it again.  
Akaashi stood up as he heard his father's yell downstairs. He had grown numb to the feeling of being beaten and abandoned. He couldn't believe that no one had searched for them or that they hadn't been able to get out of here. There had been countless chances, but every time the utter fear towards his father had stopped him. He didn't want to go through the same thing as three years ago ever again.  
"You are late, Keiji", the man growled when the boy stepped in the kitchen. "Where's my breakfast? It's supposed to be ready when I wake up!"  
"I'm sorry", Akaashi murmured and was going to go to the stove to make fried eggs for the man, but he was stopped by a strong hand grabbing his arm.  
"Come again?" his father snarled. "I didn't really hear you."  
"I'm sorry, that won't happen again", Akaashi instantly repeated with a louder voice. His father grinned and let his arm go without saying anything more, and the boy walked to the stove, eyes staring blankly ahead.  
"I've been thinking, Keiji", his father started talking while the boy was frying the eggs. "We should go somewhere today. If you'll do good there, I will reward you by letting the other one of your sisters go to school."  
The boy's heart skipped a beat and he gazed his father in surprise. "Really? What do I have to do?" he asked, his only eye shining in excitement. Miku or Yuki could start going to school and get out of here!  
"You'll see it there." The boy's alacrity faded right away when he saw his father's face, and he gulped. That face didn't mean anything good. 

"Here we are." The man shoved Akaashi out of the car and the boy fell to the hard ground on his knees. Yuki and Miku were with them, and that made Akaashi nervous. How were they involved with this?  
The boy's eyes widened when he saw two kids in the hall they had arrived in. Both of them were tied to the chairs and were blindfolded.  
"I have a simple request for you, Keiji." Akaashi heard his father's voice again and gulped when he saw two guns in his hands. The man loaded them and reached his hand to give the other one to Akaashi. "Kill these two and Miku or Yuki. Prize for that will be the education to the one you leave alive."  
"What?!" Miku yelped and wrapped her arms around Yuki. "Don't do this, Dad! You can't make Keiji a murderer!"  
The boy just stared at his father, unable to answer. He was kidding, right? He couldn't do this, he wasn't that insane. He couldn't kill people without a reason.  
When Akaashi looked at the man's cold yes, his hopes faded. He was serious.  
"If you don't do it, I will kill all five of you", the man continued. "You are all just trash. It would be a huge favor to the society if you all would be gone. So, Keiji – three or five?"  
Akaashi's heartbeats were echoing in his head when he tried to get his thoughts in order. He couldn't let his father kill both of his sisters. Everyone knew five lives were more important that three. The boy gazed the two strangers tied to the chairs. Could he shoot those two and his own sister? Three innocent people just because his father told him to do so?  
"Answer, Keiji", the man growled. "I will not wait for long." Now the boy gazed his sisters. Yuki had pressed her head against Miku's chest and cried, clearly too shocked to say anything. Miku was staring right at Akaashi, eyes wide open in fear. Then, just so slightly that Akaashi could barely see it, the girl nodded. Akaashi knew what she meant, and it made his heart sink.  
The boy reached his hand and took the gun from his father, whose face twisted into an ugly grin.  
"Now, if you even try to aim it at me, I will shoot both of them", the man warned and pointed his gun to Yuki and Miku. Akaashi bit his lip and stood up, the gun feeling heavy and cold in his hands.  
"You promise?" he asked, voice shaking in shock. "You won't touch the one I leave alive anymore. You will let her go to school and educate herself. You will not do the same to her as you did to me."  
"You have my word", the man chuckled. "You can shoot me if I lie."  
The boy stared at him for a long while, trying to get himself together. Then he raised the gun to point it at the other one of the kids in chairs. He didn't see their faces, and they were most probably unconscious since they hadn't said anything. Akaashi tried to make himself believe that they were already dead when he aimed his gun and pulled the trigger for the first time. Yuki let out a horrified scream when the bullet ripped through the kid's head and the body fell to the ground along with the chair. Akaashi's breathing was unstable and he didn't let himself think too much before turning the gun to the other child and shooting again. He let his hands drop to his sides and watched in horror how blood flowed from the bullet wounds he had just made. He didn't know those two, but he had killed them without asking anything. Now his heart felt even heavier than before, and he didn't want to turn around to meet his sisters' eyes. He didn't want to turn around knowing that he should raise his gun again to shoot the other one of them. If killing two strangers made him feel like he would lose his mind in any moment, how could he pull through the murder of his sister?  
The boy gulped and slowly turned around, forcing his eyes off from the two corpses. He didn't raise his look to meet his sisters' eyes, and stared the gun in his hands.  
"Why?" he whispered. "I'm the only one who isn't your real child! Can't you just shoot me and leave Miku and Yuki alone?" He saw from the corner of his eye how Miku flinched, and he didn't know if it was because the girl was scared for her brother or because the boy had just told they weren't in fact siblings.  
"Your life isn't that worthy", his father said with cold voice. "Hurry up, the cops will be here soon. Will you do it or will I?"  
Akaashi stared at the man, eyes glistening helplessly. He had to do this to save at least the other one of them. Miku was still holding Yuki against her chest, and Akaashi could feel her stare on his skin. The boy finally raised his look to meet the burning eyes of her sister, and all Akaashi could see in them was determination. They had to save Yuki and give her a future. Akaashi raised his gun and pointed it at his sisters, hands shaking uncontrollably.  
"I'm sorry", he whispered when tears started streaming from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Miku."  
Miku just nodded, and then, suddenly and without a warning, she shoved Yuki away from herself. That was all the time Akaashi needed, and he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Miku's neck, and the girl took a sharp, weak breath before falling to the ground. Yuki stared at her motionless corpse eyes full of horror, and the gun dropped from Akaashi's hands and the boy fell on his knees, strength fading from his legs. His mind had gone blank the moment he pulled the trigger, and now he could only stare at his sister's corpse. The whole hall stank of blood, and it made the boy's mind twist.  
"Fuck, the cops are here. Come, sweetie, we are done. Keiji can take the responsibility." Akaashi could barely hear his father's voice. It felt distant and unreachable, and the boy didn't find strength to even raise his look. He heard how the steps of two people got distant and disappeared a moment after, but he didn't move a muscle to stop them. He didn't have energy for that.  
"Open the door! The police is here!" When Akaashi didn't react to that, either, he heard a loud crash when the old door of the hall was knocked down. The noise made Akaashi wake up from his thoughts and the boy looked around him. Yuki and his father were gone. They had left without the car.  
"What has happened here..?" The boy raised his head to meet the horrified look of the police officer. "Did you do this?"  
That was the moment Akaashi really snapped out from his thoughts. He took a sharp breath and struggled to get back, further away from the cop. That man would hit him, he was sure of that. They all did that. He needed to get out of his reach.  
"Hey, calm down!" the man aspirated. "What happened here? It's okay, I won't hurt you."  
That's what they all said. That they wouldn't hurt you. Akaashi stared at the officer eyes wide open in fear and couldn't find anything to answer.  
"He has a gun", the other officer said and kneeled down next to his workmate. "But there's no way he could've drove that car. I think he is one of the criminals, but not the only one."  
"Don't jump to conclusions", the first officer said. "What should we do to him?"  
"Hey, boy, do you have a home?" Akaashi quickly shook his head to answer the question. He couldn't go back to his home, that would only make his father angry.  
The second officer looked at him for a while, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "If he really is this good with guns, I think we have a place for him." 


	21. Chapter 21

"Iwaizumi, Bokuto woke up." The vice-captain turned his head from the gravestones and met Takeda's serious eyes. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but this is important. We need you there", the medic stated and lowered his head to apologize. Iwaizumi gazed the gravestones again and sighed quietly. The stones all had the similar text in them: Name, year of birth, date of death, and the same, small quote: Fallen in duty. Daichi, Kenma and Futakuchi had gotten their own places just like most of the soldiers before them. Daishou had only a small memorial plate just as Kuguri, Semi and Kindaichi did, since their bodies were not found. It had a different text: Soldier's pride never wavers.  
Iwaizumi turned his head away from the stones and nodded to Takeda. He followed the medic back to the headquarters and to the operating room. Bokuto was laying on his bed, eyes closed and breath stable as he was sleeping. When the door creaked a little as Iwaizumi stepped in the room after Takeda, the Owl opened his eyes and turned his head towards the two soldiers.  
"Iwaizumi", he croaked. "You're finally here."  
"Ya", the vice-captain muttered and sat on the chair next to the bed. "Sorry for making you wait. How are you feeling?"  
"Not well", the soldier partly laughed, partly coughed. "Did Takeda tell you anything yet?"  
Iwaizumi shook his head and gazed the medic. Takeda sighed slightly and crossed his arms.  
"I thought you could tell him yourself", the man said. "Should I get Akaashi here, too?"  
"Don't", Bokuto's quick answer surprised Iwaizumi. "I… have to get some courage before I can tell him." Iwaizumi had linked his fingers and looked at Bokuto with a restless light in his eyes. The vice-captain had never heard Bokuto say that he needed to get courage for something, and that made him nervous. The captain of Owls had always been the reckless one, the one that never gave up. He was an important friend and comrade for Iwaizumi, and the brunet feared for his health. He was afraid of what Bokuto would say next.  
"How's your back?" the brunet asked when he couldn't tolerate the heavy atmosphere anymore. "Will you be okay?"  
Bokuto was quiet for an uncomfortable moment, and Iwaizumi could've guessed his answer. "No", he whispered. "I can't feel my legs, Iwaizumi. I can't walk properly anymore."  
The vice-captain gritted his teeth and leaned his forehead on his hands. "Crap", he mumbled. "I'm sorry, Bo."  
"No need to", the Owl let out a sorrowful laughter. "You'll be fine without me. I can stay here and give you mental strength or something. It's not your fault."  
"You were in the western city because of my command", Iwaizumi reminded. "We should've stayed together. I knew something was off, but I still let your team go by your own."  
"Iwaizumi, stop that", Bokuto huffed and reached his hand on the vice-captain's shoulder. "I was the one that didn't retreat early enough. It's completely my own fault." The Owl was quiet for a slight moment and continued: "At least I'm alive. Your part of the unit was the one that got losses. This is nothing compared to Daichi's case."  
"So you heard already", Iwaizumi sighed. "Still. I-"  
"Enough", Bokuto interrupted him. "Seriously, Iwaizumi, this isn't your fault. And maybe Ukai could make new legs for me or something, since he helped Akaashi, too", the man laughed shortly. "I will be fine. I can't be a soldier or a captain anymore, but I'm alive and that's what matters. I can give Akaashi all the support he needs even if I can't take part in patrols."  
"Right, Akaashi", Iwaizumi suddenly remembered the sniper Owl. "Do you think he will be alright? Tooru has already told Matsukawa and Hanamaki all they need to know about him, but I can't help being a little doubtful."  
Bokuto looked at him with serious, calm eyes and nodded slightly. "Akaashi will be okay, I know that. He needs some time to adjust, but he isn't weak at all, Iwaizumi. He can do this." He was quiet for a moment before continuing: "Akaashi will be completely okay, so you don't need to worry about that. Right, you should probably go to sleep now. I guess you haven't slept at all in a few days after the incident? You are barely awake. You really should take care of yourself, Iwaizumi."  
"I need to choose what to do with Suga first", the vice-captain sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and turning his look to the ceiling. "I don't want him to stay here. Not after that. He will not get back on his feet if he stays here."  
"I bet you know what you're talking about", Bokuto admitted with a sigh. "But that's something for Sugawara to decide."  
"You are right, but I don't think he will listen to me", Iwaizumi mumbled. "I have to talk to him. It's just awful to bring this back up when it's only been two days."  
"I know", Bokuto whispered. "Talk to him and go to sleep. Otherwise you will be the next who can't walk anymore."

"Sugawara", Iwaizumi kept his voice carefully soft and low when he called out the sniper Crow. "How are you feeling?"  
The grey-haired Crow didn't turn his look from his cup of coffee right away. He was clearly tired, but his eyes were still wide and he had a spooked look in them. The dark circles were almost as bad as Iwaizumi's, and Sugawara looked like he hadn't eaten at all in a few days.  
"Not good", the sniper finally answered. "I didn't sleep well." Iwaizumi nodded slightly and sat next to him on the bench.  
"Have you been thinking what you will do now?" the vice-captain asked. "Daichi was an important comrade and friend for you. You have a right to leave if staying here gets too painful." The Crow gazed him quickly, his brows raised and mouth a little bit open.  
"What?" he whispered. "How could I? I would never leave, Iwaizumi, I will be fine with time. How could I leave after years of being here?"  
"I knew you'd say that", Iwaizumi sighed. "I'm serious, Suga. This place doesn't let you heal. You'll end up the same as me and Akaashi if you don't pick yourself up right away or leave completely. I think you should find a safe place for yourself and Elysia to live."  
"So you are basically kicking me out?" Suga had raised his voice to a high-pitched one that was full of doubt and shock. "I thought we needed all the soldiers possible to keep this unit alive!"  
"Sugawara, please calm down", Iwaizumi pleaded. "I'm not kicking you out. You can stay if you want, but I just said that in my opinion that isn't a good idea. I'm worried about you, Suga. I don't want to risk your mental health any more than this."  
"I can't leave", Sugawara stated. "I just can't. I could never leave my team now when it needs every possible support it can get. I will not leave, Iwaizumi. This is the place I belong to."  
The vice-captain looked at the sniper for a while, carefully observing the Crow's expression. "How about Elysia?" he asked quietly. "Will she stay here too? In a place where she sees injuries, blood and death every day? Will she be okay?"  
The Crow fell silent. Iwaizumi waited for a while, but when neither of them broke the silence, the vice-captain stood up with a sigh. "You should talk to her. Then you can decide. You are a valuable soldier and my friend, Suga, and that exactly why I would prefer you to leave. You don't know what kind of hell this can be." Then the brunet nodded towards the coffee cup in front of the sniper. "You should go to sleep instead of drinking that. The Owls are in the patrol, so the others can rest." The brunet walked to the kitchen's door and gazed one more time behind his back. "I'll accept your decision whatever it is. Just make sure you will not regret it." Without waiting for any kind of answer the vice-captain stepped out of the room.  
When Iwaizumi closed the door behind him, he let out a deep sigh. The unit needed Sugawara right now, and the vice-captain should've asked this from Kuroo first, but he wanted to do everything to prevent deepening the mental scars Sugawara had.  
"What's with the long face?" Oikawa's chirpy voice was the last thing Iwaizumi needed right now, and the brunet let out a pained grunt, leaning on the door and letting himself slide to the floor. Oikawa made a worried-sounding sound and instantly crouched down next to his teammate.  
"Hey, is something wrong, Hajime?" the sniper asked concernedly. "Did something happen?"  
"I don't know what the fuck I should do", Iwaizumi sighed and leaned his head and back on the wall. "How do you do that, Tooru? You always seem so freakin' positive and energetic. I would have some use for that."  
"Don't know, it's my nature", the sniper hummed and shrugged. "But seriously though, what happened? You weren't that tired when I last saw you."  
"A lot happened", Iwaizumi sighed. "Firstly, Bokuto can't be a soldier anymore. He can't feel his legs. Secondly, I don't know how Akaashi will tolerate that. Thirdly, I don't know what to do with Sugawara. It would be the best for him to leave, but he doesn't want to and to be honest we need him right now. Fourthly, the fair is getting closer and I should contact the hosts to discuss about the security. Fifthly, Tsukishima still hasn't woken up and Kiyoko still isn't sure if he ever will. Sixthly, I need to check the information of the new soldiers that will arrive in a few days. The heading unit said they would also bring us something to help with our fight against the Dolls. I should check what that 'something' is, and-"  
"Whoa, hold up a second", Oikawa aspirated and held his hands in front of Iwaizumi's face to get the brunet's attention. "That was more than enough. You have way too much work, Hajime, that'll seriously kill you if you don't take a break right now. You can do your work a little later when you have rested for a while, that would be more effective." The sniper stopped for a moment and touched the left side of Iwaizumi's face slightly. "On the top of that the wound on the left side of your face doesn't look that good. Yachi should check it."  
Iwaizumi blinked his eyes slowly, trying to keep his thoughts clear. He had noticed the throbbing pain on his face, but it had quickly faded under the killing headache he had. "I guess you are right", he mumbled and turned his look away from the other Cat. "I'll… go to rest after talking to Yachi."  
Oikawa's face wasn't relieved, it was far from that when the sniper observed his vice-captain's expression and eyes. The concern was glistening in his eyes, but he didn't say anything when he nodded and stood up.  
"Fine, then. Make sure to sleep well."

Akaashi felt incredibly nervous when he walked down the street, Matsukawa and Hanamaki following right after him. The sniper felt lost when Bokuto was not there, and he hadn't even gotten to know the other two soldiers well since they both were quite new here. Akaashi knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help the restless tingling in the tips of his fingers. He didn't have his captain on his side to make sure nothing would surprise them, and Akaashi knew he wouldn't be quick enough to aim with a handgun if something would attack them. He didn't doubt Matsukawa or Hanamaki's skills, but he didn't trust the two soldiers completely either. He had noticed how Matsukawa stayed on the sniper's right side and knew that Oikawa had told the two soldiers about his right eye, but that didn't make him any less nervous. He had always needed time to get along with someone, but now time was something he didn't have.  
"We need to check houses from three to nine", the Owl said, trying to accept the fact he needed to act as a captain for a while. The words felt unnatural coming from his mouth, and Akaashi would've given anything to Bokuto to be alright already. "That isn't much, so we will go together. Six and seven are abandoned, so we need to be careful with them." Matsukawa and Hanamaki nodded in agreement. They could only go through less than one street, since Hanamaki was still quite badly injured and Matsukawa had some wounds that couldn't be strained too much, too. They'd just ask a few civilians if there was something they should know and go back to the headquarters then.  
When they arrived to the first house, Akaashi knocked the door a bit hesitantly. This was Bokuto's job, and it felt wrong to do it. Still, the sniper took a deep breath and straightened his back when the door was opened. There was a young woman standing on the doorstep, and Akaashi thanked his luck for that.  
"Evening", the woman greeted with a little confused voice. "Can I help you?"  
"Good evening", Akaashi greeted back and nodded slightly. "Nothing particular, we're just patrolling. Has everything been fine lately? Anything strange?"  
"Ah, nothing", the woman assured and waved his hand lightly. "It's been quite calm. The only thing was a noise from a few streets further three days ago, but looks like it was you", she continued after gazing the bandages around Matsukawa's neck and the scratches on Hanamaki's cheek. "Are you all okay?"  
"Not really, but that's nothing for you to worry about", Akaashi uttered a short laughed and gave a light-hearted smile to the woman. It was rare for Akaashi to smile like that, but he needed to hide the misery in his eyes so he wouldn't make the civilian even more worried. "We will be back on track shortly. It's good to hear that it has been calm here. Keep yourself safe."  
"The same goes to you", the woman mumbled, leaning on the doorway. "Good luck. You seem to need it." 

That needed luck left Akaashi when the door of the fourth house was opened. Akaashi's skin became white as a sheet when he met the eyes of a tall, middle-aged man, and the sniper opened his mouth to talk but couldn't make any noise. The blood froze in his veins and his heartbeat got faster and louder, and the only reason wasn't the man's appearance. Akaashi knew him.  
"You", the Owl finally could get a small voice out of his mouth and put his hand in front of Matsukawa, who was going to take his place to talk to the man. "What… are you doing here?"  
Akaashi couldn't even breathe when the man grinned and let out an evil laugh. "Oh, my God, what a consequence! You really remember me, brat. I just came to check how Ryan's slave is doing in the military. Your precious sister isn't here, eh?"  
"Yuki isn't here and you will not get to know where she is", Akaashi snarled. "How could I ever forget?" The Owl's voice was clearly shaking. He could never forget the face of the man that was on the street on that misfortunate night, the man that let his father take him back to the Hell he was living in. The man that made Akaashi lose his trust in every other man in the world. "You didn't help me back then. You left me with my father… You hit me just like he did. I thought you could help us. I thought…" Akaashi shook his head slightly and had to turn his face away. Instantly, he felt a strong slap on the side of his face and flinched, stepping back a few steps to get away from the man's reach. He didn't find any strength to act like a soldier should've, and he felt like a helpless child again.  
"You look people in the eyes when you're talking" the man snarled to the sniper. "Or have you forgotten Ryan's education?"  
"Hey!" Matsukawa snapped and stepped front. "Don't touch our captain. You better keep your filthy hands off him."  
"A captain, hmm?" the man chuckled. "I should tell that to Ryan right away when he gets back home, he'd get a good laugh of it."  
"You little…" Matsukawa grumbled and was clearly ready to punch the man's teeth to his throat, but something had caught Akaashi's attention.  
"Don't", he aspirated to the soldier. "You. You can't tell, he's in prison", the Owl said to the man, who was still grinning and chuckling by himself. "Has been for ten years and will be for the rest of his life. You can't tell."  
The man laughed and that made Akaashi shiver. "Poor boy, you really think he'd stay there?" he laughed and looked at Akaashi, shrugging slightly. "Believe what you want. He'll get out three days from today, and he will surely pay you a visit during the fair."  
Akaashi's right hand instantly rose to his neck, covering the choker and the scar under it, like he was afraid of being attacked right here and now. "Thank… you for that info", he murmured. He couldn't believe he thanked this vicious man for something. "Hanamaki, do you have a phone with you?" The Owl tried his best to keep himself together for the sake of his team's imago. If he'd been alone, he would have already collapsed to the ground due the throbbing pain in the back of his head.  
"Ya", the soldier mumbled and gave his phone to the sniper. Akaashi took it from him and tried to remember one exact phone number, pressing the buttons with weakened fingers.  
"We should keep going. And you, you'll stay away from Akaashi and us", Matsukawa stated to the man. "If you ever, ever threaten him again, you will pay for that."  
If that would've come from anyone else than Matsukawa, the man would've probably laughed. Now, staring at the taller, scarred soldier, he stayed silent and nodded slightly.  
"Back to the headquarters", Akaashi ordered before pressing the phone against his ear. "We are done for today."  
 _Beep. Beep._ Akaashi's hands were sweating when he waited for the answer from the other end of the line. He was walking quickly to get away from the heavy atmosphere as quickly as possible. He needed to talk to Iwaizumi or Bokuto to calm down, and they were both at the headquarters.  
"Akaashi Yuki." The sniper's heart skipped a beat when he finally heard a voice from the other end.  
"Yuki?" he, for some reason, repeated. "Thank god you answered. It's Keiji. I'm calling from my comrade's phone."  
"Keiji? Oh my gosh!" the young woman squeaked. "You are alright! It has been so long time that I thought something has happened to you! Why haven't you called?"  
"I've been busy and don't have own phone", the sniper muttered. "Yuki, listen. You said in your letter that you'd be coming to the fair, right?"  
"Yea, of course I'm coming", Yuki answered, clearly confused. "It's the first time in ages when I have free time during the time of the fair so I can finally visit you. Why, did something happen?"  
"Don't come", Akaashi aspirated without answering his sister's question. "Really, Yuki. Don't come."  
"Why? What happened, Keiji?"  
Akaashi run his fingers through his head and tried to find the right things to say. "Dad", he mumbled. "He will be coming, too. I'm serious, Yuki. Don't come."  
The line fell silent, and it took a moment for Yuki to answer. "I thought he was still in the prison", she whispered. Akaashi knew that his sister feared their father just as much as he did, so bringing this up made his heart feel heavy.  
"He'll get out in three days", Akaashi explained and took a deep breath to keep his voice stable. "He'll be there for sure. He will kill us both if we show up, Yuki, please don't come."  
"But you have to be there because you are a soldier!" Yuki aspirated. "I will not leave you there alone!"  
"Yuki, please, put yourself first for once", Akaashi pleaded. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, but you don't deserve to get hurt. I can keep him away from myself since I'm a soldier. You'll only make things more difficult if you show up. You can visit me some other time, before or after the fair. Just don't put yourself in danger by showing up there."  
"I could say the same to you", his sister wasn't clearly pleased. "Keiji, you are just as much in danger as I am! Even more to be honest. After all, Dad promised to leave me alone. I haven't seen him in ten years. You are the one that's in danger."  
"The deal wasn't to get him into the prison, so he will most likely break his promises towards you", Akaashi partly coughed the words. "Yuki, please. Come visit me before the fair. I don't want you to come there."  
Yuki was quiet again for an uncomfortable moment before answering. "I understand. I will come there four days before the fair, okay? Keep yourself safe, brother."  
"Okay. You too stay safe. Remember to come with a car, this place is crowded with Dolls", he reminded. "Bye. Love you."  
"Love you too. See you."  
Akaashi put the phone down and tossed it to Hanamaki. "Thanks. That was a huge help."  
"No problem", Hanamaki assured and put the phone back to his pocket. "Are you sure you are okay?"  
"I just need to talk with Iwaizumi or Bokuto", Akaashi sighed. He couldn't get the startled look away from his eyes, and his heart was still running. "I just… got surprised, that's all."  
That wasn't all, and Matsukawa and Hanamaki knew that judging by the concerned looks on their faces.  
"Remember that you're not alone", Matsukawa noted quietly. "We won't let anything happen to you or anyone else during the fair."  
"You don't know what you're talking about." Akaashi's voice was becoming shaky again. "My father… He isn't sane, Matsukawa. No one should go near him. I'm afraid that he'll harm the civilians if he doesn't get what he wants." The sniper let out an embarrassed, dry laughter. "Sorry, I must sound like a spooked mouse. I just…"  
"It's okay", Hanamaki hurried to assure. "We understand. And we'll make sure nothing bad happens in the fair."  
Akaashi was quiet for a while, and he didn't even gaze the two soldiers while walking forward. "Thank you", he finally said. "But we have way greater problems than that. You don't need to be bothered by him."

"Bokuto is sleeping, I don't think it would be wise to wake him up", Kiyoko said quietly. "He needs to rest."  
"Shit", Akaashi mumbled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Iwaizumi?"  
"Sleeping, finally", the medic sighed. "I don't suggest interrupting his rest either."  
"Oikawa?"  
"Tooru went to the graveyard", a low voice interrupted Kiyoko before she could even answer, and the sniper and the medic turned their heads to see Iwaizumi. The vice-captain had bandages covering his other eye, and Akaashi assumed they were there just to keep the wound on the left side of his face clean. "Is something wrong, Keiji?"  
"Iwaizumi, you-" Kiyoko started, but the vice-captain silenced her with a half-hearted hand wave.  
"It's almost a fact that I can't sleep more than twenty minutes by now, Kiyoko", the brunet sighed and yawned. "There's no helping it." Iwaizumi turned his face to Akaashi, and concern glimpsed in his tired eyes. "For real, did something happen?"  
"You should sleep instead of worrying about that", Akaashi mumbled but couldn't help feeling relieved that the vice-captain was awake. "But if you really can't, then I guess there's no need to not tell you."  
"Let's go to the kitchen, I need a coffee and the others aren't there", Iwaizumi suggested. "I assume you want to talk just between the two of us?"  
"Ya", Akaashi admitted and turned around to head to the kitchen. Iwaizumi followed him, and a small glimpse of quilt flashed in Akaashi's mind when he realized how heavy the vice-captain's steps were. It wouldn't be a good idea to worry him even more, but Akaashi needed to talk to someone, someone who would really understand.  
"So", Iwaizumi started while putting the coffee maker on. "Did something happen while the patrol? Did Matsukawa and Hanamaki do well?"  
"Yes, there's nothing wrong with their behavior", Akaashi hurried to assure. "It isn't anything related to that. We just… came across someone I didn't want to see."  
Iwaizumi glanced the sniper with worried eyes, and Akaashi could already tell what he was thinking.  
"Not my dad", he noted. "He's still in prison… But I have told you about this man. He was the one that didn't help me back then when I got out of my house to search for help. He's one of my father's friends", the Owl explained. "I behaved like a kid and couldn't face him, but I think I would still have been fine with that. But Iwaizumi, he told something that I didn't think was possible." Akaashi leaned back on the chair he had sat in, and tried to gather his courage so he wouldn't become a scared mess while talking. "My dad will get out of prison in three days. He'll come to the fair."  
Iwaizumi was quiet for a slight, unbelieving moment and gazed the other soldier again. "I thought he would stay in the prison for the rest of his life", the brunet stated quietly. "At least he would've deserved that."  
"I neither know how he gets to leave, but that's not important", Akaashi sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "I already called Yuki and told her to not come to the fair, so that's okay, but…" The Owl tried to find the fitting words that wouldn't make him sound like a spooked kid. After a while of silence he gave up, reminding himself that Iwaizumi would understand. "I just don't know if I'll be able to act like a soldier should if I have to fear him all the time. We got him into the prison, me and Yuki. He will…" His sentence was left unfinished again, and the Owl lightly shook his head, feeling upset of his own helplessness.  
"He will come after you", Iwaizumi finished for him. The vice-captain had sat on the other side of the table and put the coffee cup in front of him, but his eyes were fully concentrated on Akaashi.  
"…Yea", Akaashi partly coughed the word. "I'm afraid of what he will do if he doesn't get what he wants." The Owl uttered a short, sarcastic laughter. "It's almost funny how I am more afraid of an old man than of a fight with a Dolls. I'm more afraid of a single hit that dying on the battlefield." The sniper fell silent again and covered his mouth with his fist, avoiding Iwaizumi's eyes. "I just… don't want to go back to that time. Not a slightest bit."  
"Neither should you", Iwaizumi sighed quietly. "It's completely understandable. We'll keep him away from you and make sure he doesn't do anything to anyone else, either. If Yuki isn't there, then everything should be fine. I'm sorry that we need to take you there, but we need every soldier there."  
"Of course, that's not what I meant", Akaashi assured. "I will come to the fair, and hopefully I can act like a soldier should. Hopefully he doesn't even come, but I doubt that. Iwaizumi, you don't have to change anything, I just needed to tell you. I will be fine." He had to gather all his willpower to keep his voice stable. He was afraid, scared stiff, but he didn't want to worry the vice-captain. He needed to get through this by himself.  
"I really wish you will be fine", Iwaizumi sighed. "Just tell me if it gets too difficult. You are a soldier, but I bet he has still better build than you, so you won't be a match for him if he chooses to attack you." Akaashi nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. He knew that very well, he would never win his father in a fair fight. He was just a skinny boy beside him and would be knocked down in an instant. Still, Akaashi felt how his heart slowly stopped beating faster than it should, and he could finally breathe properly again.  
When Akaashi opened his eyes again, they showed a new light of determination.  
"I will be okay. Don't worry."


	22. Chapter 22

"Are you Iwaizumi Hajime?" The vice-captain didn't react since he didn't really even notice the voice while leafing through the documents he had gotten a while ago. Feeling Oikawa's slight punch on his shoulder, the brunet finally turned his head to meet the eyes of tall, classy-looking man, whose face was twisted into deep, concerned frown. "The vice-captain of this unit?" the man continued, clearly a little impatient of the lack of answers. Iwaizumi just stared at the man for a while, trying to get his tired brain to recognize the visitor. The brunet's eyes wandered to the name tag the man had, and instant realization made him straighten his back.  
"Chief Han?" he aspirated sharply and instantly lowered his head. "Yes, I'm Iwaizumi Hajime. It's an honor to meet you."  
"No need to bow or anything", the chief of the whole Japanese military system assured. "I just decided to come check this unit, since I haven't heard really good things about it and you seem to need new soldiers all the time. And now that I look around me, looks like that isn't the only problem. Where is your leader? Kuroo Tetsurou, wasn't it? I need to talk to him."  
Even when Iwaizumi acknowledged that it was the head of the military talking, he couldn't help but feel doubtful. The chief had never before visited this unit, which meant that they basically had no rules. They could follow their own ways and do as they pleased, and Iwaizumi knew many things they have done were illegal. For example, keeping Elysia, an underaged civilian here was strictly against the rules of the 'normal' units. The vice-captain knew the chief would find out about Elysia in no time – if he hadn't already – and the last thing the brunet wanted was to fight the heading chief of the military right now.  
"In his office, I suppose", Iwaizumi answered the man's question. "Is it something important? I don't think he's in a mood for a talk right now." The last time he had seen Kuroo was a day after Kenma's death, six days ago. The leader had been dangerously calm, and Iwaizumi knew something was off. He wasn't sure about Kuroo's state right now, so he would have wanted to keep all the intruders away from him.  
"It is really important, yes", chief Han answered with a low voice. "Why? Did something happen?"  
"The four soldiers we lost a week ago", Iwaizumi started to explain with a deep sigh. "One of them was our strategist, Kuroo's close friend."  
"Ah, I see", the man took a deep breath. "But I don't think that should have a lot of effect to someone who is suited to be a leader. Perhaps he's too weak to that position, then?"  
Iwaizumi looked the chief straight into his eyes, and knew the man wasn't even waiting for an answer, just talking to himself. Still, Iwaizumi had never lost his respect for someone so quickly. The chief seemed to be like all the others, emotionless, only thinking about a person's value as a soldier. Iwaizumi wanted to tell what he was thinking, that in this unit they valued all the people as friends, but for some reason he kept his mouth shut. It didn't have anything to do with the high position of power the man in front of him got. Iwaizumi just felt like he couldn't care less about what the chief was thinking, and didn't see any reason to correct him. He just didn't care.  
"Guess I will show you his office, then", the vice-captain mumbled and was going to turn around, but was stopped by the chief's hand sing.  
"I didn't come alone", the man said. "The new soldiers you needed are on the hallway. They have also the new goods we promised for this unit. Shall they wait there?"  
"Oh, of course not", Iwaizumi gazed Oikawa, who was still standing on his side. "Tooru, can you get them? I'll come too after I've shown the chief where Kuroo's office is."  
"Sure", the taller brunet nodded and took the pile of documents from the vice-captain. "The hallway, you said?"  
"Yes", Mr. Han answered with a slight nod. Oikawa hummed quietly and passed the chief, heading to the front door that led to the short hallway.  
"I think you should come with me", Mr. Han suggested when they reached Kuroo's office. "It won't take long, I just need your opinion on some things, too."  
"Uhm, sure", Iwaizumi mumbled and gazed the chief shortly. What he was up to?

Iwaizumi knocked the wooden door and opened it after waiting a slight moment. "Kuroo? We have a visitor", the vice-captain called for his leader. The room was as shady as ever, and Iwaizumi could just barely see Kuroo's figure sitting in his chair.  
"Iwaizumi? Who is it?" the raven-haired man asked and straightened his back a little. "Is it important?"  
"Chief Han", Iwaizumi answered while nodding towards the man. "It is really important."  
"The head chief?" Kuroo stood up and lowered his head to greet the higher-class man. "It's an honor to have you here." Iwaizumi saw easily that the leader bowed just because it was the usual thing to do, not because of respect. "What brings you to our small unit?"  
"Many things", Mr. Han stated and walked to Kuroo's table, sitting down on the chair in front of it. Kuroo sat down too, keeping his eyes on the chief. Iwaizumi stayed next to the door, leaning on the wall and letting out a quiet sigh. The dim lights made him feel sleepy, but he had to stay awake so he wouldn't miss anything the two leaders would discuss about.  
"How are you leading this unit?" the straightforward question of chief Han made Iwaizumi raise his brows, and Kuroo looked just as surprised as the vice-captain. The leader leaned back on his chair and looked the chief right to the eyes, not even trying to hide the doubtful flame in his eyes.  
"I'm in the charge of handling information, if that's what you are asking", Kuroo stated and tilted his head a little. "I give the orders to Iwaizumi and he tells them to the soldiers. I take part to the patrols and fights if needed, but most of the time I stay here, doing paperwork and making sure that the unit keeps working. Why do you ask?"  
"Because in my opinion, this unit is not led well", chief Han dropped. "This looks like an old apartment full of university students. Your soldiers don't have uniforms, they address their teammates with first names and act like they don't have any rules at all. Some of the men here look so tired that they may drop dead at any moment, and I didn't come across any patrols while coming here. Do your soldiers work at all, or are they just living here with military's money? And shouldn't it be easy enough to just kill the Dolls from afar, so you wouldn't need to put your soldiers in danger?"  
Kuroo stared at the man, clearly trying to accept all the statements the chief had just said. Then the leader sighed deeply and crossed his arms.  
"I think you should ask that from Iwaizumi. As I said, I stay mostly in my office so my vice-captain basically leads the soldiers."  
"You should be aware of what's going in your unit", Mr. Han noted. "A true leader keeps their unit in order."  
"I don't see anything wrong with trusting my vice-captain", Kuroo hummed and turned his look to Iwaizumi. "Well, Iwaizumi, tell me. Have I trusted you for nothing?"  
"I don't think that's the case", the vice-captain instantly answered. "Chief Han, with all my respect, I think you are wrong. The headquarters may look a little sloppy, but that's just to make sure the soldiers feel cozy here. After all, we are living here. It's different from the other units. And what comes to that first name addressing you mentioned, that isn't the case with everyone. Personally I think it's just me and Tooru and Keiji. Tooru is my friend, and Keiji has been here just as long as I have, so we have become close enough to use our given names. It's also a way to make soldiers feel comfortable. We don't have uniforms because we need to be able to move flexibly while fighting the Dolls. We have regular patrols. We do work. And the only one that looks 'so tired that they may drop dead' is me. That's completely my own fault", Iwaizumi fell quiet for a slight moment, trying to decide if he should tell the truth or just play safe. After all, he didn't want Kuroo to lose his position right now. He wouldn't be ready to take that place.  
"The last few weeks have been draining, and as a vice-captain I take the most physical effect of that. Kuroo is the one to take the mental side of the work, and that's completely fine with me. There's no need to blame Kuroo for that. And what comes to our fighting style, this is the style we have considered as the most effective. If we would just snipe the Dolls and not show ourselves, they would hide and start moving at nights, become restless and start attacking the civilians even more than now. They aren't as stupid creatures as you seem to think. This unit works well just like this, and I think there's no need to change it." The vice-captain nodded to his leader as a sign that he had ended his little speech, and Kuroo turned his eyes to chief Han after nodding back.  
"There you have it. My vice-captain has everything under control." The two men stared each other, observing the expressions in the other's eyes. Kuroo looked victorious, while Mr. Han clearly tried to decide if he believed Iwaizumi or not.  
"I see", the chief finally said. "I'll accept that answer just because this is indeed a different unit from the rest of them. But there're a few things that I need to point out." The man raised his chin and tilted his head, looking down to Kuroo with squinted eyes. "You have an underaged girl here. I understand that this had been a unit where the government has dumbed the ones that aren't part of the regular society – just like the ones called Akaashi Keiji and Daishou Suguru. But I think that girl isn't meant to become a soldier, am I right?"  
Kuroo gazed Iwaizumi and nodded, signing him to answer the statement of the chief.  
"I assume you are referring to Elysia", the vice-captain started. "She is one of our soldiers', Sugawara Koshi's younger sister. She was living with her grandmother as a regular civilian, but recently her grandmother passed away. Koshi is the only familiar of her that we know, so he had to take care of her. As a soldier, Koshi can't leave the unit, so we decided to take Elysia here. If we find any of her other familiars, she will leave, but right now this is the only place she has since she is too young to take care of herself." Iwaizumi took a deep breath and continued: "She has the right to become a medic or soldier if she wants to, but right now she is here just as a civilian who doesn't have any other place to go."  
"That's understandable, then", the chief hummed. "The other thing considers the antibiotics you have here. You are aware that they are really expensive to make, yes?"  
"Of course I do, chief", Kuroo agreed with a nod. "Yet they are crucial to us. They have saved us countless of times. What about those?"  
"Since we are giving this unit accessory and other stuff, we have to take something off", Mr. Han started carefully. "You will receive ten antibiotics per month. Not any more."  
"What?" Iwaizumi aspirated, completely letting himself to forget the manners. "But chief Han, that will kill us! Ten isn't even nearly enough, that isn't even one for each soldier!"  
"The accessory you received may make that easier to accept", Mr. Han stated, keeping his voice calm and emotionless. "We gave you uniforms that have padded sleeves and legs. You will be fine with those."  
"I have to oppose", Iwaizumi huffed. "We have already used almost forty antibiotics this month, and we still have lost eight men. Basically we will spend at least ten more before the end of this month, so that makes over fifty. You are saying that we should go with less than one-fifth of that?" The brunet shook his head in disbelief. "How? Do we just leave our comrades to die after we have spent those ten antibiotics? You are asking us to do something we can't possibly do."  
"The new uniforms will defend the soldiers enough", chief Han stated. "Enough of this topic, Iwaizumi. Our decision won't change. You may now leave."  
"You clearly don't know what it's like", Iwaizumi snarled with a stone-cold voice. "Ten isn't enough, no matter what kind of uniforms we have. But if you want us all dead, fine, that'll do. I'm just saying that the unit that has fought the Dolls for more than ten years and kept them away from the other cities doesn't deserve to be treated like this." The vice-captain turned around, not bothering to say anything more before opening the door and exiting the room.

Iwaizumi closed the door and let out a distressed exhale. "What the fuck is he even thinking?" the brunet murmured while walking towards Oikawa, who was talking with four unfamiliar soldiers. The vice-captain's mind was racing. The discussion had had too much topics for his tired brain. He had had a chance to get Kuroo out of here, but he had rejected that. He had defended his leader and wouldn't have a chance to take back his words anymore. The chief had luckily accepted Elysia and the other questionable things, but lessening the amount of antibiotics was something the unit would not adjust to easily.  
"Ah, Hajime", Oikawa greeted when he noticed the other brunet. "Finally. How did it go?"  
"Not well", the vice-captain mumbled and took the documents Oikawa handed out to him. "I'll talk about that later." He quickly checked that he had all the needed documents in the pile Oikawa gave him, and turned his look to the new soldiers.  
"It's nice to meet you", he greeted them with a nod. "I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, the vice-captain of this unit. I'm basically in charge here, so you will get the orders from me." He shortly gazed the first information leaflet he had and then turned to look at the first soldier. "Kunimi Akira?"  
"Yes", the dark-haired man noted. "I will join this unit as the new strategist of team one." It was almost amusing how the soldier had just the same blank expression as Kenma always had had. Must be a strategist-thing, Iwaizumi thought, and turned his eyes to the next man after nodding to Kunimi.  
"Konoha Akinori", the soldier introduced himself. "Joining team two."  
The third had red hair and his gaze made Iwaizumi somehow uncomfortable. It looked like he observed and memorized every movement in the room. "Tendou Satori", the man said and chuckled a little. "Joining team five, I guess. The boss said it's somehow different from the other teams?"  
"Yes, it really is", Iwaizumi admitted. "Let's see if they'll accept you. If not, then you can join some other team." Tendou wasn't clearly pleased by the answer, but Iwaizumi didn't wait for his complaints as he turned his look to the last soldier.  
"Narita Kazuhito", he said his name and smiled slightly. "Joining team three."  
Iwaizumi nodded a little and turned his look back to the documents. "Weapons?"  
"Two handguns", Narita was the first one to answer. "Rifle is also fine."  
"Handguns are okay", Iwaizumi assured. "Daichi used them, so it's better to keep the concept same."  
"Basically anything", Tendou hummed. "Mostly knives and handguns."  
"A handgun and a knife if needed", Konoha stated. "I'm not unfamiliar to rifles, but I prefer handguns."  
"You are basically taking Bokuto's place", Iwaizumi murmured. "He used two handguns, so a handgun and knife are fine."  
"I can use handguns", Kunimi noted and shrugged slightly. "I suppose I don't really need to take part to the fights?"  
"Yea, you stay mostly here", the vice-captain confirmed. "It's still good to know how to use guns for self-defense. For the previous strategist that wasn't enough, though, so remember to not leave the headquarters without at least two soldiers."  
"Hajime, the accessory they brought is still in the hallway", Oikawa stated after the vice-captain was done explaining the main things of the unit to the new soldiers. "Should we get those now?"  
"Right", Iwaizumi mumbled and searched for some of the captains until realizing that Ennoshita was the only one of them that was still able to work. "Ennoshita!" the brunet called when he spotted the captain near the kitchen. "Can you introduce the headquarters to these four? I have other stuff to do."  
"Oh, the new soldiers?" the Eagle noted and walked to them, giving a handwave as a greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ennoshita, captain of team four." After the four newbies had greeted him, the soldier turned his look to Iwaizumi.  
"Is there something they have already seen?" he asked while taking the documents the vice-captain handed to him.  
"No, you can introduce them everything", Iwaizumi huffed a small glimpse of amusement in his voice. "I'll take care of their belongings and stuff like that, though. And I think there's no need to give them the radiophones, since we got new uniforms from Mr. Han."  
"New uniforms?" Ennoshita repeated and raised his other brow. "I assume you will talk about those later?"  
"Yea, we're going to check them now with Tooru", the vice-captain explained and nodded towards his teammate. "I'll call everyone here after Mr. Han has left."  
"Alright", Ennoshita hummed. "So, trainees, should we go?"  
Leaving the newbies for Ennoshita, Iwaizumi and Oikawa headed to the hallway. The vice-captain tried to think what he should tell the soldiers, since there's no way he could've told everything he had heard from Mr. Han. Most probably he would just mention the antibiotics and uniforms, leaving the less important things unspoken.  
"By the way, Hajime", Oikawa's voice made the brunet snap out of his thoughts. "I decided to get that remaining money I need for my prosthesis from my parents. I'll pay them back, so I think it's okay. They were understanding but shocked, of course. So, you don't have to worry about that anymore."  
"Right, there was that too…" Iwaizumi mumbled and let out a deep sigh. "Fine. We were almost out of time anyway, so I guess that was the only way." Somewhere deep inside Iwaizumi wanted to tell his teammate that they would've been fine, so he shouldn't have borrowed that money from his parents. However, the tiredness won and he remained silent, not wanting to start a fight with the other brunet. After all, Oikawa was a grown man who made his own decisions, so Iwaizumi should just respect them and keep quiet.  
"The prosthesis has been alright?" Iwaizumi's tone made it clear that his sentence was a question, and Oikawa shrugged a little.  
"To be honest my shoulder has ached a little lately, but that's nothing serious", the sniper told. "I talked with Moniwa and he said it'll be alright as long as I don't strain it."  
"That's good to hear", Iwaizumi stated. "Remember to be careful, then."  
"Sure", Oikawa chuckled and flashed his carefree peace-sign. "Careful is my middle name."  
"Well then, Careful, help me to open these damned boxes", Iwaizumi huffed and threw a pocket knife to the sniper. The hallway was almost full of small boxes, and Iwaizumi could've guessed those were the accessory Mr. Han had promised to them.  
"Whoa, these look cool!" Oikawa had gotten the first box open in instant and was now holding a black uniform, only colorful detail being the badges in their chest and arms.  
"This box is full of brand-new radiophones", Iwaizumi noted, taking one of them in his hand. "So I was right, they'll give us some more stuff than just the uniforms."  
"I found mine!" Oikawa informed while observing one of the uniforms. It had Oikawa's name in it, and the details in it were red. "Looks like they color-coded our teams. We are the red one, The Owls are yellow, The Crows blue, the Eagles purple and The Snakes green. This is so detailed!" the sniper's voice was amazed. "We'll look like real soldiers for a change."  
"How about you act like one for a change?" Iwaizumi teased and opened one more box. "Sweaters?"  
"These uniforms look thin, so I guess those are for winter", Oikawa stated, leaving the vice-captains earlier teasing without attention. "Don't look at me like that, Hajime, I didn't choose this! I know very well that you don't like to keep thick clothes when you're patrolling."  
"Well, I'll just not wear those, then", the vice-captain mumbled. "Depends if these clothes really make moving flexibly more difficult or not. We'll see that soon." He picked one of the sweaters from the box. "This has your name on it. Care to test it?"  
"I was waiting for that question", Oikawa chuckled and took the black sweater from the other brunet. "So I'm the mannequin, huh?"  
"If you want to put it that way", Iwaizumi hummed and waited until the sniper had gotten the sweater and uniform on before tossing a radiophone to him. "It has an earpiece. I suppose the wire is supposed to go from here." He touched lightly the small Velcro that was fastened to the neck-part of the uniform. "I have to admit that this is really clever and detailed accessory."  
"Like this?" Oikawa asked after getting the earpiece on place and fastening the wire to the collar with the Velcro. "I guess I won't be needing this holster, though, since I don't use a handgun."  
"We need to switch those cases and holsters a little so everyone gets what they need", Iwaizumi mumbled. "They really gave us everything we need… I'm not so amazed anymore that they have to cut something off, too."  
"Cut something off? What do you mean?"  
"Nothing", Iwaizumi hurried to assure when he realized he had said too much. "You'll hear soon. Let's get these boxes to the main hall." 


	23. Chapter 23

"I have a few more things to say", Iwaizumi tried to lessen the noise that filled the whole hall when all soldiers compared their new uniforms to the others'. Everyone had gotten the new accessories, and now the grown men looked like exited children playing with their new toys. "Can I get your attention?" the vice-captain raised his voice a little, and a little by little the noise faded away as the soldiers turned their attention to him. Iwaizumi let his eyes observe all of them for a while, and suddenly his chest felt tight. Most of them had been on a verge of death, the only thing that could save them being the small, expensive syringe. None of them would take this well, and Iwaizumi braced himself for that as he took a deep breath before talking again:  
"I'm glad that you seem to like those uniforms Mr. Han gave us. However, there is one thing that isn't as cheerful as this. I assume everyone here is aware that these accessories the chief gave us weren't cheap. He needed to take something off, too." The brunet tried to find the right words, but he knew the soldiers wouldn't accept this without objecting, no matter how smoothly he'd say it. "The antibiotics are the most expensive thing that's given to us monthly. Until this point, we were able to receive just as much of them as we needed. However, starting tomorrow, we will get ten antibiotics per month. Not any more."  
The shock wasn't only showing clearly from the soldiers' faces, it could've been felt in the air, hanging above them and strangling them slowly. Iwaizumi was waiting for a flood of yells, accusations and curses, but he was faced with a group of doubtful – scared – expressions. He hadn't ever seen something like that, not when he told them about Daichi's and Daishou's deaths, not when Kenma was brought to the headquarters, dead and face partly eaten. The soldiers were afraid. For the first time in Iwaizumi's military "career" he could feel how the will to fight faded away from the soldiers' eyes. This was way more fatal thing to them than Iwaizumi had even predicted.  
"When you get into a fight, you usually end up using over ten antibiotics at once", the first one to say something was Takeda. "Was this Mr. Han's idea? He can't be serious."  
"He said we well be fine thanks to the new uniforms", Iwaizumi told. He couldn't speak out his doubts, since all the soldiers needed now was courage, not more uncertainties. "We'll get through this. It will be alright. We just need to be a little more careful and make sure to take the bites to the padded parts of the uniforms if we're in a situation where bites can't be avoided. Every team can carry around only one syringe now, since we need to keep some at the headquarters, too. If a patrol comes across of Dolls, they must contact the others immediately – even if it would be only few Dolls."  
"That wouldn't help if more than two of us get bitten", Matsukawa pointed out. "I haven't been here for long, and from what I've heard the time I've been here has been hectic, but I assume this is still a huge thing for us. What if someone gets bitten and we don't have any more antibiotics left?"  
Iwaizumi bit his lip, trying to find a proper answer. Truth to be told, he didn't know that either. They would just need to watch how their comrade became a Doll – or shoot them before that.  
"There's no way we could just watch our teammate's struggling without doing anything", Shirabu's angry voice caught Iwaizumi's attention. "Ten could be enough if we count only the fatal bites – the ones like the one you got on your leg, Iwaizumi. But most of the bites are just little scratches that we don't even properly know to be effective. Do we need to count those out? Do we need to take risks like that?" The sniper let out an unapproving huff and rolled his eyes. "This unit will die in the next month. Ten just isn't enough."  
"I know that", Iwaizumi sighed. "We just need to adjust to this as quickly as possible. The uniforms are made of strong material, so they should block the smaller scratches quite well even if there wouldn't be any paddings. We'll need to test them to see how much they will protect us from the bites." The vice-captain raised his head a little to speak properly to the whole crowd. "Speaking of that, I need two more soldiers to the patrol. I am leading and the rookies will come too – including Kunimi – but I think we should have a few more since it' s an evening patrol." He assumed it was a good time to change the subject a little, before he would be faced with too many questions. "Ennoshita, is your ankle fine enough already? I thought you and Kageyama could come with us."  
"Sure, my ankle is completely fine", Ennoshita mumbled. "It's a good idea to test the uniforms a little, since I don't think we will see any Dolls today either." Iwaizumi nodded shortly, knowing very well what the Eagle meant. They hadn't seen a single Doll since the failed hunt, and the city had been quite calm for a while.  
"Good. Kageyama?"  
"Yup, I can attend", the Crow said. "I need to talk to the rookies anyway." That reminded Iwaizumi that Kageyama was in fact a captain now. The vice-captain found it hard to accept, it felt like he would leave Daichi behind by doing so. Still, he knew Kageyama would be an amazing captain for the Crows.  
"Right. You'll get to talk to them during the patrol", Iwaizumi hummed. "Is everything clear? If anyone has something to say, step forward." Surprisingly there was no movement. The soldiers clearly understood that it would be worthless to oppose, since the decision came from the head chief.  
"Good. You can go now. Tooru, can you help me to get these spare uniforms to my office?" Even when the sniper couldn't properly lift anything with his prosthesis yet, he had succeeded well even before. The boxes were quite small, so one arm was enough to carry them.  
"Sure", his teammate agreed. They waited for a while so most of the soldiers would get out of the hall. Oikawa walked to the smallest box, acknowledging his limits, and lifted it easily. Iwaizumi took one of the boxes too and headed to his office. They stacked the boxes to the empty corner.

The job took a while, and when they were done, Iwaizumi glanced the clock on the wall. It would soon be time for the patrol to leave.  
"Thanks, Tooru", the brunet thanked his teammate. "Could you go get the rookies? I should inform them about the patrol before we leave. I should go change, since we need to test the uniforms." The vice-captain let out a tired sigh. "Don't know if I'll use it otherwise, though. It seemed uncomfortable."  
"I think this is nice", Oikawa chuckled. "But sure, do as you please. I can get them – but Hajime, are you limping?"  
"Am I?" Iwaizumi sounded confused and stopped walking for a slight moment, then moving again to observe his leg. Oikawa was right, he had started limping without even noticing it. "Oh, you are right." Now that it was mentioned, Iwaizumi noticed the throbbing pain in his leg. "Nothing serious, though, don't worry."  
"You sure? Did the scar start acting up again?" Oikawa worried. "I think you should show it to Kiyoko before the patrol, just in case."  
"Maybe you're right-" Iwaizumi was going to continue his sentence, but just then he spotted Kuroo few meters away from them. "Oh wait, I think Kuroo has something to say." Oikawa opened his mouth, ready to oppose, but he closed it when he glanced the leader.  
"He looks serious. You should probably go", he admitted. "But after that? Take-chan warned you about what could happen if you strain your leg too much, remember?"  
"Yeah yeah", Iwaizumi sighed and gave the sniper a half-hearted hand wave. "I'll do that later. See ya." The vice-captain walked to his leader, who kept his distance from the other soldiers, clearly wanting to talk just between the two of them.  
"What is it?" the brunet asked when he reached the leader. "Mr. Han has left, right? What did he talk to you about?"  
"Yes, he left", Kuroo admitted. "Let's talk about that later. What the fuck was that, Iwaizumi? You lied to him."  
The vice-captain knew the leading Cat referred to how he told Mr. Han that Kuroo hadn't done anything regarding the brunet's tired state. Iwaizumi crossed his arms and shrugged a little.  
"I just didn't feel like kicking you out right now", he stated.  
"You could've gotten me out of here, and you would've won our little bet", Kuroo hissed. "What are you doing? It's nothing like you to give up like that."  
"As if you'd care about that", Iwaizumi slashed. "You won for now. You should be glad about that."  
"You are making this game boring", Kuroo huffed. "I thought I would break you, but you're doing it yourself. Well, that isn't my problem. Just letting you know that the chief didn't buy all your words. He grilled me with his questions until I had to admit that I don't like you. And guess what? He didn't even care. He said it's quite normal in the military that the leader doesn't like his vice-captain."  
"So his just like you, a shithead that thinks of the soldiers just as tools", Iwaizumi hummed. "Not that surprising. And?"  
"That Kunimi", Kuroo noted and beckoned towards the new strategist that was now talking with Oikawa, "I don't like him. There's no way I could trust him like I trusted Kenma. I almost wanted you to tell the truth to the chief so I could get out of here. But since you disappointed me – again – I think I can just throw the captain's responsibilities to you by myself. I am in charge of handling information, remember? You can take the planning part. I'm tired of that."  
"You know just as well as I do that I'm not suited for that", Iwaizumi snarled. "Are you running away again?"  
"If you want to put it that way, yes. I'm just tired of this place", Kuroo stated. "The soldiers don't follow me anyway, they follow you. This place is almost at a breaking point, Iwaizumi. And I decided to run away from that. You can take the responsibility, since I'm just handling the information – not anything regarding the teams."  
"You fucking shithead", Iwaizumi snarled. "Is that everything you have to say? You are even more ignoble than I though."  
"You can call me whatever you want, but you have to admit that leading a unit that doesn't trust you is meaningless", Kuroo noted. "I have the strength to get out of that situation, you don't."  
"You should give them a reason to trust you", Iwaizumi huffed. "But sure, do whatever you want. I'm tired of fighting with you. Now, excuse me, I need to go to change so I can lead a patrol – although you probably don't give a shit about that." The vice-captain turned around and headed to the restroom after getting his uniform from the chair he had left them on, leaving the leader behind. Iwaizumi didn't let himself think about the conversation they had – it had only given him more responsibilities, and right now he wasn't able to take them. 

While changing, Iwaizumi noticed that his skin around the four-week-old scar was red and sensible. He should really show it to some of the medics, but right now he didn't have time for that. He put on the new clothes, slightly flinching to the feeling of the new, raspy fabric scratching the scar. After he had gotten the sweater on, he stopped for a while. The sweater was a turtle-neck type, and Iwaizumi hated those more than anything. It felt uncomfortable and weird, so the vice-captain took it off. He put only the jacket on the top of his tank top, leaving its zipper slightly open so the cloth would feel comfortable. After fastening the radiophone and its earpiece to their place the vice-captain folded his cargo trousers and left them on the chair, leaving the restroom and heading to Oikawa and the rookies. They all had their uniforms on, and Iwaizumi had to admit that they looked like real soldiers now.  
"Dang, that uniform suits you well", Oikawa stated when he noticed the other brunet. "No sweater?"  
"You know I hate turtle-necks", Iwaizumi mumbled shortly. "It isn't that cold weather anyway." He turned his attention to the rookies. "So, I guess you are aware now what Dolls are. Usually the patrols go quite calmly, but just to be sure, we have some rules for the evening patrol. There should be at least one soldier guarding the front, one for the left, one for the right, and one for the back. Only two of the soldiers are allowed to shoot if a Doll attacks us. That's only necessary when it's dark, though. It's to avoid risks – it's quite difficult to aim in the dark if you feel even a little stressed. In the morning and day patrols that isn't necessary. You haven't seen Dolls, so it's quite risky to take you to the evening patrol…" Iwaizumi fell silent for a while, realizing that he didn't have the four "guardians" for the patrols – the rookies would be a perilous choice for that.  
"I can come, too", Oikawa stated before Iwaizumi could even say anything. "It's better to have experienced soldiers as guards, right?"  
"Are you reading my mind or something?" the vice-captain huffed. "You are right, it would be a better choice. You sure you can manage?"  
"I don't take that question from you", Oikawa chirped innocently. "Should I get Ennoshita and Kageyama here already? The earlier we leave, the better."  
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and nodded then. "Sure." Oikawa left, and the vice-captain turned back to the newbies. "Anything to ask?"  
"Are these 'Dolls' really so bad?" Tendou asked. "If they aren't conscious of their actions, shouldn't it be easy to avoid and kill them?"  
"I wish it was that simple", Iwaizumi sighed. "They may sound like an easy opponent, but they aren't. The most fatal thing are the bites – no matter how small scratch it is, it may kill you. The other thing is that they might have a little bit intelligence. They know how to avoid the armed patrols. They'll hide if we try to kill them with snipers from afar. They are mysterious creatures, so I don't really know what would be the most effective way to fight them." The brunet shrugged a little. "You can make your own presumptions after you have fought with them, though. You are supposed to join team five – it wouldn't be surprising if you wouldn't find them dangerous or scary opponents."  
"So the team I'm joining is really something special?" Tendou kept asking. "Who am I replacing? What do I have to do?"  
"Just your usual", Iwaizumi answered the last question first. "You are taking two soldiers' places, to be exact. There's no way you could replace Daishou, their former captain, so I guess you'll be taking Futakuchi's place."  
"Are you underestimating me?" Tendou huffed. "I'm not a bad soldier, you know."  
"That's not it", Iwaizumi quickly assured. "It's just… Team five is built with trust between the team members. They may be reckless as hell, but they wouldn't ever leave each other behind. That's why we have to check if they accept you at all. Daishou was their captain, so no one can take his place easily. And even if that team would be 'normal', Daishou isn't someone that anyone could replace." The brunet was quiet for a slight while. "Not even me, Kuroo or all of us together. He was our best soldier and a huge loss for us."  
"I think I've heard of him before", Kunimi noted quietly, looking uninterested. "He wasn't able to feel pain, right? If he was that good, how did he die?"  
"Just like most of the others", Iwaizumi sighed. "The hunt where we lost him and two others went horribly wrong. There were more Dolls than we had expected, and the number of them didn't seem to decrease at all no matter how many we killed. We had to retreat, for the first time in the history of this unit. Daishou, me and Kuroo left to check that all the soldiers could retreat safely. Me and Kuroo got out safely, but retreating isn't something Daishou would do. After he had made sure that his teammates were safe, he refused to retreat. When me and Kuroo retreated, he stayed. There's no way he could've survived in the middle of that number of Dolls."  
"So he died because he was too proud", Konoha noted. "What a stupid reason to die."  
"You can say that because you don't know his story", Iwaizumi stated and shrugged a little. "It was his way to live."  
"Who are we replacing, then?" Konoha asked. "Not someone as flasy as Daishou, eh?"  
"You are joining team two to take Bokuto's place", Iwaizumi told and turned his attention properly to the new Owl. "He isn't dead, he just can't walk properly anymore. I'll introduce you to him later. Bokuto was a captain, too, and one of our strongest soldiers. Kenma was our strategist", the vice-captain continued and turned to look at Kunimi. "You kinda remind me of him, to be honest. However, Kuroo has already stated that he won't work with you, Kunimi, so I will make the plans with you. Kenma was an important partner for Kuroo, so he doesn't think he can trust anyone like he trusted Kenma. It's better if he doesn't work with you." Kunimi squinted his eyes but nodded in agreement. "Narita, you are joining the Crows. They lost their captain – and possibly one of the soldiers, too", the brunet's words faded into a sigh when he remembered Tsukishima. "Daichi wasn't a flashy soldier, but he was a perfect captain. He…" Iwaizumi frowned and sighed quietly, shaking softly his head. "He was important for us. As a friend and as a soldier. You are in a quite difficult spot for now, since only Kageyama – the new captain of the team – is able to work properly. Tsukishima is badly injured and we don't know if he'll ever wake up, and Sugawara… isn't feeling well", the vice-captain explained. "He was Daichi's closest comrade – and also the one that had to kill him. Sugawara will take part on patrols and stuff, but please be understandable towards him."  
Narita had a concerned frown on his face, and he nodded quietly. Iwaizumi gazed over his shoulder and saw Oikawa walking towards them with Ennoshita and Kageyama. "There they are. We should leave right away, so the patrol will be over sooner."


	24. Chapter 24

"Look, it's snowing again." Narita's statement made Iwaizumi almost bite the cigarette between his lips in half. The vice-captain tried not to think about it, because for some reason his nerves were on edge again. His leg was aching, head hurting, and he could barely keep his eyes open. The dusk made him feel extremely tired, and he tried his best to keep his guards up. Luckily they hadn't come across of anyone or anything, and they were almost at the goal street. They would only go ask from two civilians if anything had happened, and then they would return to the headquarters.  
"Is it really a good idea to go to Street 9?" Oikawa questioned with a concerned voice. "It's mostly abandoned, and I don't think we should go there anyway." Iwaizumi knew very well what the sniper meant: the vice-captain didn't want to visit that street right now either, but he wanted to talk to Sam, who was living there.  
"We won't go to the end of the street, if that's what you meant", the brunet told his teammate. "The houses I thought we would visit are number three and seven. That's not bad." Oikawa let out a skeptical sound, but didn't complain any more. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and took a deep breath from his cigarette to get the cold feeling that was creeping to his hands away. They would just visit the street quickly and stay away from the end of it, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Ennoshita, Kageyama, Kunimi and Konoha, go check the house number 3", Iwaizumi ordered when they reached Street 9. "Kageyama will take the lead." It would be the best for the Crow to start taking some captain's responsibilities, and leading a patrol for a moment would be a soft start for him. He had done it before, but never when there were other captains in the group. The raven-haired soldier nodded and signed the others to follow him. Oikawa, Tendou and Narita were left with Iwaizumi, and they headed to the seventh house. Iwaizumi dumbed his cigarette to the snow and threw the end to the trash bin nearby before knocking the door twice. They had to wait for a while before the door was opened. There was a quite tall young man standing on the doorstep.  
"Evening", Iwaizumi greeted him with a nod. Was this Sam's older son, Tadashi?  
"Oh, evening", the man answered and observed the members of the patrol, then letting out a quite disappointed sigh and lowering his look back to Iwaizumi. "Patrolling?"  
"Yes", Iwaizumi confirmed. "Has everything been fine today? Were you looking for someone specific just now?"  
"Ah, not really", the man assured with a laugh and gave him a half-hearted hand wave. "It's nothing important. I just wondered if my friend was in this patrol."  
"You are Tadashi, right?" Iwaizumi ensured. After he got a hesitant nod as an answer, he crossed his arms with a quiet sigh.  
"So you were looking for Tsukishima", the brunet noted. "I'm afraid he won't be able to come to patrols for a while."  
"Why?" Tadashi sounded startled. "Did something happen?"  
"Just the usual", Iwaizumi sighed. The vice-captain couldn't tell the truth to avoid panic. "He's quite badly injured, so he will have to stay still for a while. I will send him to a patrol right away when he recovers, so don't worry."  
"Quite badly?" the man repeated. "Will he be okay?"  
"He will", Iwaizumi didn't let his voice expose his doubts. "It may take some time, but he will."  
"That's good to hear", Tadashi let out a relieved exhale. "He hasn't visited for a long time, so I thought something really bad had happened… Tell him that I said hi."  
"I will", the vice-captain promised. _If he will ever wake up,_ he added in his mind.

The patrol had almost returned to the headquarters, when two blinding lights cut through the dusky air. They came from a small car that approached them with low speed. Iwaizumi signed the patrol to wait on the edge of the road and squinted his eyes to see the driver despite the bright lights. When the car was only a few meters away from them, it stopped and was shut down. The window was rolled down and through it peeked a familiar head – Akaashi Yuki, Keiji's sister.  
"Iwaizumi!" she gasped, looking incredibly relieved. "Thank God we came across you. We're lost, the city looks so different when it's dark."  
"Oh, Yuki", Iwaizumi didn't even try to cover the surprise in his voice. "Right, Keiji told that you would visit. I completely forgot it. The headquarters are just around the next corner", he told and pointed ahead with his hand. "It's on the hill, so you can easily spot it."  
"It may still be difficult for her to actually see it", Oikawa said and stepped a little forward. "We usually have dim lights there, after all. I think you should go with her, just in case." Iwaizumi turned to look at the sniper and raised his brows in disbelief.  
"You're kidding, right?" he mumbled. "It's not a right time for this shit, Tooru."  
"We will be right behind you, so you won't miss anything", Oikawa reasoned, not backing up a slightest bit. "I'm serious, Hajime. The sooner you get that wound of yours checked, the better. You didn't show it to Take-chan before we left, right?"  
"It's not that bad", Iwaizumi assured with a quiet snarl. "But whatever, as you please. I'll go with her, so make sure to bring the patrol back in one piece."  
"Sure, nothing can happen in a short distance like this", Oikawa hummed. "And if you're not at Take-chan's when we come back…"  
"Yea, yea, I get it already", Iwaizumi huffed and opened the car's door, sitting down on the backseat. "Let's go, Yuki, Keiji is probably really worried already." The young woman nodded quietly and gazed the driver, who started the car again. Iwaizumi had heard of this man, he was Yuki's boyfriend. Since Yuki was still too young to drive, she needed someone to be the driver. Her boyfriend would always stay in the car while Yuki was visiting her brother, so Iwaizumi didn't know much about him.  
"Oikawa was quite strict", Yuki broke the silence in the car. "You have a wound? Has something happened?"  
"It's an old wound", Iwaizumi said and sighed a little. "And it really isn't that bad, Tooru is just overreacting as usual. I got it from a Doll something like four weeks ago. I was alone, so no one else was injured." He was quiet for a slight moment. "The headquarters may be quite a mess, though. Keiji is completely alright, don't worry about that, but most of the others aren't. Whatever you do, don't talk to Sugawara about Daichi."  
"Why?" Yuki breathed out. "I thought they were close?"  
"They really were", Iwaizumi mumbled, taking a deep breath. "Daichi died a week ago. So did Kenma, Daishou and Futakuchi. Semi, Kuguri and Kindaichi died a few weeks before that. Keep that in mind when you talk to the soldiers."  
"Oh my gosh", Yuki whispered. "That's… horrible. Are the others okay?"  
"The ones that took the most impact are Sugawara, Bokuto and Tsukishima", Iwaizumi let out a tired exhale. "Sugawara is still feeling down because of Daichi. Bokuto got injured in the same incident where Daichi, Futakuchi and Daishou died, and he can't walk properly anymore. Tsukishima is in a critical state. He got fatally injured in the same attack as Kenma, and he still hasn't woken up. The others are recovering well."  
"Bokuto?" Yuki repeated. "How did Keiji take that?"  
"Surprisingly well", Iwaizumi hummed while watching out of the window, squinting his eyes a little every time a street light passed by. "He's the captain for now, since Matsukawa and Hanamaki are still quite new here – they replaced Kuguri and Semi. If we don't count the incident he has probably already told you about, he has kept his mind in one piece quite well."  
"Keiji told me about that through texts. I still cannot believe that someone of our father's familiars lives here", Yuki mumbled, shaking her head lightly in disbelief.  
Iwaizumi sighed heavily. "Me neither." 

They reached the headquarters quickly, and Yuki and Iwaizumi got out of the car. Iwaizumi was just going to follow Yuki, who was already jogging towards the front door, when he heard a distracting cough behind him. He turned his head to meet the eyes of Yuki's boyfriend, who was called Takeo, if Iwaizumi recalled right.  
"You better keep her safe", the man said with a quiet, low voice. "She has had nightmares every time she comes home from this place. I can't prevent her from visiting her brother, but please, be considerate of her. She isn't a soldier, so she can't take seeing the injuries and stuff as well as you do."  
Iwaizumi raised his other brow, looking quite surprised. "Of course I will make sure she stays safe. And thanks for telling. I'll try to keep her away from things like that." The vice-captain paused for a moment before continuing: "But you see, in places like this, injuries are all over the place. If she takes the risk by coming here, I can't help that. Knowing her nature, she will most probably insist seeing Bokuto, Sugawara and Tsukishima. It's up to our medics if she will see them or not."  
"I understand that", Takeo sighed. "And that's why I would prefer to keep her away from this place. But Keiji is a nice person, so I can't stop Yuki from seeing him. He understands her better than I do", he added with a quite sad tone. "Just do your best, will you?"  
"Sure, you can trust that", Iwaizumi promised. "But I have to go now, since as you probably heard, my comrade will kill me if I don't let our medics see the old scar I have." The vice-captain shrugged a little. "You are free to come, too. It's quite risky to be outside all alone."  
"No, I'll wait in the car", the man assured and opened the driver's door again. "See you."  
"See ya. If something happens, just knock the door", Iwaizumi hummed and waved goodbyes to the man before turning around and walking to the door. So Takeo was quite a nice guy after all, despite his grumpy appearance. Yuki was totally in good hands. 

Iwaizumi arrived to the main hall only a little after Yuki, and the girl was standing next to the door with confused eyes. The hall was empty, and Iwaizumi assumed most of the soldiers had already gone to sleep.  
"Is something wrong?" the brunet asked and raised his brows. "You look surprised."  
"No, I just forgot how… friendly the atmosphere here is", Yuki answered quietly. "It's nothing like the other units I have visited. I almost assumed that it had changed when I saw your uniforms", she laughed a little. "But I'm glad it's still like this. This is the only home for Keiji, so it would be a shame if it'd change to a cold and workaholic place."  
"I agree", Iwaizumi hummed. "Come, Keiji is probably in the kitchen." He led her to one of the white doors, opening it and stepping to the kitchen. For his luck, Akaashi really was there with Sugawara and – for Iwaizumi's surprise – Bokuto.  
"Keiji", the vice-captain called. "We have a visitor." When Yuki stepped in the room, Akaashi's eyes widened and the sniper quickly stood up.  
"Oh my gosh, I thought something had happened", the soldier aspirated while walking to them and wrapped his arms around his sister. "Where were you? I'm so glad you're finally here."  
"The traffic was horrible in our city", Yuki mumbled and returned the hug. "And we got a little lost here. Luckily we happened to come across Iwaizumi's patrol, so he led us here." The girl stepped back and observed her brother's face. "Oh my gosh, Keiji, you're so _thin_. And you have new scars on your beautiful skin."  
"That's the life here", Akaashi hummed and shrugged a little. "I'm okay, don't worry."  
"You're as stunning as ever, Yuki", Bokuto whistled teasingly from his seat. "It's a shame you have a boyfriend already."  
Akaashi gazed the other soldier warningly, but Yuki just giggled. Bokuto had always been like this, after all. It was nothing new to her.  
"By the way, Bo, how are you here?" Iwaizumi asked from the former captain. "Did Takeda let you go?"  
"Kiyoko said I can move as long as I stay careful", Bokuto told and leaned on his hand. "Watch out, I'll be back on track before you even know it!"  
Iwaizumi grinned a little and shrugged. "Then I'll leave you four here. I have to go to talk to Takeda."  
"Once again?" Sugawara sighed, sounding surprisingly much like his usual self. "What this time?"  
"I just need to check the old scar in my leg", Iwaizumi explained and patted his knee. "It's been acting up lately, but it's nothing serious. Stop talking like I'm injuring myself all the time", he uttered a short laughter. "Anyway, Yuki, please feel at ease. I assume these three know where you can find anything you need."  
"Sure", Yuki giggled. "Just go now, Oikawa didn't sound like he was joking when he told you to be at Takeda's when he comes back."  
"No way, Oikawa bossed Iwaizumi around?" Bokuto gasped overdramatically and leaned back on his seat. "What in the world happened?"  
Iwaizumi just huffed amusedly and gave him an avoiding hand wave, turning around and left Bokuto with the other three and his questions. Yuki would tell them anyway, that girl had always been like a regular part of the soldiers' gossip circle. 

"Takeda", Iwaizumi called out. "Do you have a moment?"  
"To be honest I was already wondering if you would come talk to me by yourself or would I need to approach you", the medic stated and turned from his documents. "You have been limping the whole day. Don't tell me it's the scar."  
"You can really read me like a book", Iwaizumi mumbled and ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment. "I don't know why, but it has ached for a while. Can you check it?"  
"Without asking", Takeda sighed. "Go change off your uniform and come to the surgery room, we can talk there." Iwaizumi nodded and walked to the clothing room. The trousers he had left there were still at their place, and Iwaizumi took his pants off after closing the door.  
"Ah, shit", he whispered under his breath. The scar looked now way worse than it had looked before the patrol. Almost his whole leg was red, and the skin around the wound was almost purple. Even he was surprised that he was able to walk with a leg like that, so Takeda wouldn't take it well for sure. 

After changing back the cargo trousers, leaving the other pant leg rolled up and putting on the uniform's sweater – he was feeling cold all of sudden – Iwaizumi went to the surgery room. The turtleneck was uncomfortable, but he didn't have time to search for another shirt, since Takeda was already waiting. The medic was sitting on the chair next to the hospital bed, and he signed Iwaizumi to sit on the bed. Takeda gazed the wound, instantly turning his look back to Iwaizumi's eyes.  
"For crying out loud, Iwaizumi-"  
"It wasn't that bad before the patrol", the brunet defended himself, cutting the medic off. "Of course I would've come to show it right away if it'd been like this."  
"You have irritated the wound for real", Takeda sighed. "You should've rested this day. I know the fair is only four days away, but you simply cannot run around with a leg like this."  
"I can't sit still, either", Iwaizumi noted. "I can do office work for tomorrow if you want so, but I can't take a day off."  
"You should take a _week_ off, for god's sake", Takeda huffed. "This isn't bad yet if you really let it rest for a few days. Otherwise the wound may inflame, and you know how painful that is."  
"I know very well and am not intending to let that happen", Iwaizumi stated. "I fucked up, okay? I should've shown it for you sooner, I admit it. Just tell me what am I supposed to do so I can walk during the next days at least a little? I can't stand staying still."  
"It would be the best if you'd lay down for at least three days", Takeda sighed. "But since you really can't, I just suggest sleeping with the leg slightly upwards. Roll up your jacket and put it under your ankle. In addition, wrap the leg in ice for days. You can't keep the ice back during nights, okay? And you have to take it off right away if it feels like it's freezing the wound. That should be enough – if you really do rest."  
"I will, I'll really promise that this time", Iwaizumi assured. "I want to be able to walk at the fair, after all."  
"Well, then", Takeda mumbled. "The ice packs are in the kitchen's freezer. I assume you know how to deal with them?"  
"Sure", the vice-captain hummed. "Can I go now?"  
"Yes, you can. But remember to be careful."  
"I will be, no worries." 

As Iwaizumi could've guessed, Oikawa was waiting for him, sitting on the chair next to the surgery room's door. When he noticed the vice-captain, he stood up with arms crossed and looked the other brunet straight in the eyes, demanding look on his face.  
"I have to take it easy for a few days, but nothing serious happened", Iwaizumi sighed, knowing exactly what the sniper was waiting for. "It'll be okay with some ice."  
"Thank god", Oikawa let out a relieved exhale and let his hands fall to his sides. "The fair is in four days, it wouldn't have been good if you'd need to skip it."  
"As if I'd skip it in any situation", Iwaizumi noted and shrugged. "Let's go to the kitchen. I need to get the ice, and I suppose Yuki is still there with Keiji, Bokuto and Sugawara."  
"So Bokuto is allowed to move?" Oikawa asked when they headed to the kitchen. "How is he doing?"  
"Don't know, I just saw him shortly before going to Takeda", the vice-captain told. "He was in high spirits, so I guess he is doing fine."  
"Good to hear that", Oikawa hummed and opened the door. "Yuki-chan!" the sniper chirped his cheerful greeting to the girl.  
"Ah, Oikawa", she greeted him back with a hand wave. "It's nice to – oh my gosh, what has happened to your arm?"  
Oikawa blinked in confuse, then realizing what the girl was talking about. She hadn't seen his prosthesis yet, since it was dark and he was wearing a jacket during the patrol. "Oh, this?" he laughed and raised his right hand. "I was careless and got bitten. But doesn't this look cool?" he asked and straightened his arm to the right. "I can soon use it just like it was my real arm, don't worry."  
"You are really okay?" Yuki aspirated. "To think that you soldiers get injuries like those…" She gazed her brother with worried eyes.  
"It's okay like I said, Yuki", Akaashi assured. "You know this is what life is here. Hey, Iwaizumi, what're you looking for?" The vice-captain had left the conversation out of his attention and was looking through the freezer.  
"Ice packs", he answered shortly. "Need to get one for my leg."  
"So you strained it after all?" Sugawara sighed. "The packs are probably in the last box. How was your leg?"  
"I just need to cool it down and rest a little", Iwaizumi stated. "Nothing serious."  
"The fair is in four days", Bokuto noted. "Will you be fine until then?"  
"Yup, no worries", the vice-captain assured. "I'll do paper work for tomorrow and the day after that, but then I'll be completely fine."  
"You better be", the former captain of Owls huffed. "We basically have seven trainees here, Oikawa can't use his arm properly yet, Tsukishima is out and I can't even walk, so the stability of the unit would seriously grumble if you'd be left out, too."  
"As I said, I'm going to be alright. You're making too much of a fuss", Iwaizumi huffed and rolled his eyes. "Kuroo is the leader here anyway."  
"To be completely honest, that's not the case", Akaashi mumbled. "Not with the rookies, at least. They have barely even seen Kuroo. You are the one they're following."  
Iwaizumi didn't answer his statement, because it made him feel uncomfortable. He would've never thought he'd be this much against of getting more responsibility, but right now he just wanted to be a normal soldier that didn't need to do any office work or come up with plans for every situation.  
The vice-captain finally found an ice pack and took it out of the freezer, closing the door after that. Now he just needed a piece of fabric to put between his skin and the ice…  
"Hajime." Iwaizumi reacted to Oikawa's voice just in time to catch a small towel the sniper threw to him. "I assume you need that."  
"Where'd you even get that?" Iwaizumi mumbled and wrapped the ice pack in the towel before his hand would freeze. "Thanks."  
"The tape is in the corner cupboard", Oikawa said and turned to look at the others after that. "Yuki, you sure it's a good idea for you to go back during night?"  
"Takeo wouldn't approve staying here", Yuki laughed a little awkwardly. "It's okay, we have a car after all."  
"It's still quite dangerous to travel when it's dark", Sugawara noted and shrugged. "But if you will be careful, then that's fine."  
Iwaizumi listened to their conversation while wrapping the other leg of his trousers back up. He had turned his back to the others – because Sugawara and Oikawa sure did know how to overact – and quickly taped the towel around his leg, then fastening the ice pack on the top of it. He couldn't get the trouser leg back down, but that was alright, since the wound didn't show anymore. He should be careful to not show it to the others if he wanted to keep his privacy. He had survived way worse than this, so there was no way he could've let a small wound like this prevent him from going to the fair. He was needed there – he couldn't miss it out.  
"Hey, Iwaizumi, you have been quiet lately", Bokuto's statement made the vice-captain snap out of his thoughts. "Yuki is starting to get worried, she keeps glancing at you."  
"Wha-" Yuki aspirated. "I'm not- I-" The girl shut her mouth and crossed her arms. "Okay, I admit, I am worried. Is everything okay, Iwaizumi?"  
"Yea, everything's completely okay", Iwaizumi assured quickly. "I just have many things to think of, sorry about that. Am I really that absent-minded?"  
"You are", Akaashi noted and turned his look to the vice-captain. "You are stiff and quiet. Is something bothering you? The preparations for the fair are going just fine, so you shouldn't worry about that. You are even worse than Lev." The tall soldier was still feeling guilty about his failure during the previous hunt, so now he tried his best to help – only to end up with a pile of stress.  
"I am?" the brunet mumbled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Um, it's nothing serious. Just tired." He was quiet for a slight moment, knowing very well that the other soldiers wouldn't buy that excuse anymore. "And Kuroo is being his usual shit-grinning self."  
"I knew it!" Oikawa hissed. "What this time?"  
"He said he doesn't see any idea in leading a unit that doesn't trust its leader", Iwaizumi sighed and shrugged. "He gave me more stuff to do. I am now in charge of making the plans with Kunimi, since Kuroo can't trust him properly."  
"Oh no no no", Oikawa shook slowly his head with an unamused look on his face and walked to Iwaizumi. "You aren't even that good at making plans. This needs to stop. Wasn't the last time enough? He is giving you too much work, Hajime, why can't you see it and reject some of those jobs?"  
"Because it's my duty to take them", Iwaizumi stated. "Tooru, this isn't the right time to talk about this." He gazed a little nervously the other three soldiers and one civilian. "Can't we just-"  
"No, I will not care who will hear this", Oikawa interrupted him. "He is seriously going to kill you, Hajime. He is going to reach that goal of his if you keep this up. You can't manage all that work, seriously. Last time you got too much work was two years ago, and we all know how that ended."  
"I don't need to be reminded of that", Iwaizumi snarled. "And as far as I know, Kuroo isn't intending to kill me, just to kick me out. He would have had a chance to get me killed a week ago! Stop overacting!"  
"I am not overacting because I have seen what can happen to you!" Oikawa sounded desperate. "You overworked yourself, were unable to sleep and even harmed yourself! I do not want that to happen again. Please do something when you still have a chance!"  
"Someone has to keep this unit going, no matter what you want!" Iwaizumi snapped. He was starting to get frustrated with the situation.  
"Stop that already!" Yuki was the one to cut off the heating argument between the two brunets. "There's no place for fights in a small unit like this." Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa, eyes squinted and flame still burning in his tired eyes. Oikawa gave back a frustrated, worried look with his mouth squeezed into a thin line.  
"Anything to add?" Iwaizumi asked with a low, demanding voice. "I need to do my work. That's all."  
"If you're going to be like this, then no, I do not have anything to add", Oikawa stated and looked down left. "You aren't going to listen anyway."  
"This is just why you won't be my vice-captain when the time comes", Iwaizumi slashed and made the other brunet flinch. "Learn to mind your own business."  
After that, the vice-captain turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Shiiiit", Oikawa let out a long exhale and ran the fingers of his both hands through his hair. "I made it worse. I just made it worse."  
"Breathe, Oikawa", Akaashi mumbled and rubbed the sniper's back in circles with his hand after walking to the other soldier. "We don't need any more mental breakdowns here."  
"But Akaashi, Hajime is-"  
"In the verge of collapsing, I know", Akaashi sighed and crossed his arms. "And there's nothing we can do about that. He doesn't remember, Oikawa. He doesn't remember what he did last time, so he doesn't know how to avoid doing it again. He is just as desperate as you are, so yelling doesn't help at all."  
"I know", Oikawa aspirated and tried to gather his thoughts together again. "I know. I just…" He threw his head back and let out a frustrated sound. "Why he has to be so stubborn?"  
"Um, Keiji, what are you talking about?" Yuki asked carefully, clearly worried about the situation. "What did Iwaizumi do?"  
Bokuto and Sugawara gazed each other, and Akaashi looked away from his sister for a while.  
"Exhaustion makes us do really dangerous things, Yuki", the sniper said quietly, still not looking at his sister. "When a person is tired enough, he'd do anything to stay awake. Especially if he has work to do due the next day." Akaashi fell quiet again, trying to find fitting words. "Those scars in Iwaizumi's upper arm aren't from any enemy. Those are made by Iwaizumi himself."


	25. Chapter 25

He had been there for five months. He had left his family and home town to join this unit, to follow the man he trusted. Oikawa Tooru hadn't regretted his decision for a single moment. He didn't know what it was about this man, Iwaizumi Hajime, that made him feel so dedicated. The vice-captain was strong, considerate and talented, and Oikawa wouldn't be afraid to give his life if it helped the unit or the brunet in any way. And he knew Iwaizumi would do the same for him, just like for any soldier in the unit. 

In fact, Oikawa wasn't even a soldier. His father was a hunter, and Oikawa knew a lot about guns. He had always been on hunting trips with his father, and had even shot a few animals already. His father said Oikawa had a good aim. That's why he became a sniper.  
He was in the same team as Iwaizumi, team Cat. That was the leading team of the unit, and Oikawa was proud to be in it – although Iwaizumi had said it was only until the sniper would get used to living in the unit, then he'd be moved to some other team. But it had been six months and nothing had happened, although Oikawa already knew the whole city like his own pockets.  
He knew his unit, too, and one thing was for sure: He didn't like the leader, Kuroo Tetsurou. That guy didn't do anything, just sat in his office all day. Iwaizumi said it was 'paperwork'. Oikawa didn't buy that, since Iwaizumi did paperwork, too. All Kuroo did was order Iwaizumi around doing the things the leader should do himself.  
Another person that Oikawa didn't like was Daishou Suguru. The captain of team five was too hot-blooded – Oikawa already had a nasty scar on his neck as a prove. The only thing he agreed about with the Snake was their leader: Daishou despised Kuroo, and had made it clear that he only followed Iwaizumi. 

Another reason to respect and follow the vice-captain. 

"Iwa-chan, are we in any patrols today?" Oikawa chirped and leaned his arm on the vice-captain's shoulder. The brunet shook him off and turned his look back to the documents he was carrying.  
"You are, I'm not", Iwaizumi answered, partly sighing the words. "And I already told you to stop using that nickname."  
"Oh?" the taller brunet chuckled. "What should I call you, then? Hajime?"  
"That's better", Iwaizumi stated, not even blinking even though Oikawa had said that to tease his teammate. The sniper was left speechless by the vice-captain's quick response.  
"Really?" he aspirated. "You can call me Tooru, then."  
"If that's okay with you, alright", Iwaizumi mumbled, not turning his look from the documents. A wide smile appeared on Oikawa's face. He felt really honored, since the only ones that called their vice-captain by his first name were the former team captain Ukai and sometimes the sniper of team two, Akaashi. Oikawa hadn't met Ukai, since he had left two years before the sniper had joined the unit, but he had heard everything about him. Hopefully he would meet this old soldier someday. 

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Oikawa had gotten the same answer for over a week now when he'd asked if Iwaizumi would attend any patrols. The sniper also had recognized that the other brunet seemed really tired, even more than usual. He wasn't even as hot-blooded as before, almost apathic. Oikawa was starting to get concerned, since he knew the vice-captain well enough to say that his behavior wasn't normal at all.  
"Daichi, what do you think?" Oikawa spoke up his mind while he was in the patrol with the captain of team three, Crows. The dark-haired soldier gazed him in confuse and raised his brows a little.  
"About what?"  
"Hajime", Oikawa stated shortly. "He has been really quiet lately." The sniper hoped that the other soldier would know something about this, since he had been part of the unit over two years longer than the brunet.  
"Oh, that", Daichi mumbled without meeting Oikawa's eyes. "I have noticed that too. That has happened a few times before, if I remember right." The Crow let out a deep sigh. "Iwaizumi overworks himself pretty easily. That's nothing serious, though, but when that's combined with the current state of his mind…"  
"Current state?" Oikawa repeated. "What do you mean? Is he okay?"  
"I thought you had noticed already", Daichi noted, voice genuinely confused. "It's because Kuroo is testing his limits, reminding him of the things he doesn't want to remember. Akaashi said Kuroo did that a lot when he and Iwaizumi were just ordinary soldiers, stopped when Iwaizumi became the vice-captain, but now it has gotten out of hands as Kuroo got the leader's place." He kicked an empty beer can with his foot, seeming to have fallen deep in his thoughts. "It's not just Kuroo, though. To be honest, this place doesn't suit Iwaizumi. He's a perfect vice-captain, but his daily routine is too harsh. It doesn't let his old wounds heal – neither physical nor mental."  
"Do you mean the death of his family?" Oikawa guessed. "I have heard a little bit of that. Was it really that bad experience for him?"  
"It was even more than just 'bad'", Daichi huffed. "He would be fine if he wasn't surrounded by death almost daily. If you ask me, he should leave this city for his own sake. The loss of loved ones is never an easy thing to comprehend." The soldier fell quiet for a slight moment before continuing: "I think it was his age. When that happened, he was old enough to feel regret and understand the circumstances perfectly, but he was too young to accept it and get over it quickly. It haunts him, he has had nightmares and is sometimes unable to sleep at all. When you combine that with his harsh routine and the bitchin' of Kuroo, you get a quite dangerous situation."  
"Dangerous? Why don't we do something, then?" Oikawa aspirated. "If you know him this well, Daichi, shouldn't you help him?"  
"There is no way to help him", Daichi mumbled. "He doesn't listen and is basically in charge. Only Kuroo could tell him to stop working, the others can only suggest that – and there's no way Iwaizumi would leave something undone. He just is like that. However, since Kuroo doesn't care and thinks Iwaizumi can handle all the work he gives him, our vice-captain doesn't have breaks at all. That's the only thing I hate in this unit – Kuroo's blindness. I think he's still in the phase of 'Look how I can do anything I want', since he has been leader for barely a year."  
"Shouldn't we talk to Kuroo, then?" Oikawa hissed, getting seriously worried over his teammate. "Tell him to stop or something."  
"That doesn't help anymore", Daichi stated and turned to look at the sniper. "You see, Oikawa, Kuroo doesn't have almost anything to do with Iwaizumi's current state. He just… pressed the wrong button once. If Iwaizumi's mental health is usually here", the soldier reached his hand above his head, "Kuroo was only the one to push Iwaizumi over the edge. He caused this to start, but it doesn't matter what he does now – Iwaizumi will keep going down and down", Daichi lowered his hand quickly to represent his words, "Until he reaches the bottom. No one can really help that. Kuroo is doing all he can already without affecting the unit – keeping Iwaizumi away from patrols. He uses less energy when he is doing office work. And yes, he has to do something, because otherwise he would have too much time and start overthinking. And that is the most dangerous thing he can do right now."  
"Sounds so fucking complicated", Oikawa mumbled and ran his fingers through his hair. "You said this has happened before. Will he be alright?"  
"If this goes like last time, he will get back on his feet after he starts passing out from tiredness", Daichi stated and shrugged a little. "I really hope it will be like that. The first time he was like this is something I don't really even want to think about." The soldier eyes were looking to the distance and he clearly tried to remember as much as he could. "I wasn't here back then, but Akaashi has told everything about it. It was something like two years after they had joined the unit, when Iwaizumi wasn't really used to the pressure the unit causes. Iwaizumi becomes extremely carefree when he's seriously tired. On the top of that, pain is usually the best thing to keep him awake, and he knows that. He almost killed himself back then, reached the point when the pain made him pass out, just to stay awake and to finish his work. He loses all his sense of proportion when he's like that. He really does dangerous things."  
"That's insane", Oikawa hissed. "He really doesn't listen at all? Shouldn't he realize at least somehow how dangerous his actions are?"  
"He usually doesn't remember what he has done after he wakes up", Daichi explained with a sigh. "That's pretty usual for tired people. It's like being drunk: you really don't have control over yourself."

Oikawa gritted his teeth, trying to find some kind of solution to this all. He was seriously worried, and so was Daichi, but the Crow was right: they didn't have the authority to order Iwaizumi around. The vice-captain had to realize his state by himself.  
"So Kuroo knows what this may lead to but refuses to let Hajime take a break?" the sniper snarled. "What kind of leader even is he?"  
"He doesn't want to affect the unit", Daichi defended the raven-haired Cat. "Iwaizumi is a crucial part of our schedule. Even when he's only doing office work, he gets pretty much done. I don't know how Kuroo's mind works, but I think he just puts the unit before individuals – just like he should. He just does it the wrong way."  
"I should talk to him", Oikawa mumbled. "It doesn't hurt to try, right? Maybe he can at least explain what is going through that small head of his."  
"Go on, then", Daichi hummed. "Maybe you can really turn his head."

The patrol lasted for what felt like forever, but finally they arrived back to the headquarters. Oikawa was going to walk straight to the door of Kuroo's office, but then decided to try and talk to Iwaizumi first. Maybe he would be able to make the other brunet realize that he needed a fucking therapist or something.

"Hajime?" the sniper called, knocking the door twice. He didn't hear an answer. He knocked again – no answer. He turned the door knob – locked. That was really strange, since Iwaizumi never left the door locked if he was going to sleep or did something he had to concentrate on – the vice-captain always made sure he was on everyone's reach.  
"Hajime, open the door", Oikawa tried once more, bad thoughts filling his mind. "Please. We have to talk." Again, no answer.  
The sniper basically bolted to Kuroo's door, slamming his fist against it. "Kuroo! Open the door now!" Something was not right. The only explanation for the silence was that Iwaizumi was unconscious. Oikawa really hoped he would just be asleep or passed out, not something worse.  
He heard an annoyed mumble from the room, and the door was opened. "What the actual fuck, Oikawa, stop trying to destroy my door", Kuroo complained, ruffling his messy hair. As excepted, the Cat had probably taken a nap. Again.  
"I need the spare key for Hajime's office. Now", Oikawa breathed out, grabbing the leader's shoulders with his hands. "He doesn't answer his door. Something's not right, I swear."  
"Whoa hold up, aren't you overreacting?" Kuroo huffed. "He's probably just asleep. And that's only good thing, right?"  
"He never sleeps with the door locked!" Oikawa snapped. "The keys, Kuroo. Better safe than sorry, am I right?"  
Kuroo frowned, concern starting to glisten in his eyes. The soldier turned around, walking to his desk, and took a bunch of keys from the box hidden under the decorating statue.  
"Guess you're right", the Cat admitted, throwing the keys to Oikawa. "We should really check if he's alright."

Oikawa's hands were sweating as he hastily turned the key in the lock, basically throwing the door open. The room was dark, the only source of light being the small lamp on the table in the middle of the room, but that was more than enough. Oikawa could hear Kuroo swearing under his breath and calling Kiyoko. The sniper himself had ran to the table, words drying halfway in his throat. Iwaizumi looked like he had collapsed on the table, barely even sitting on his chair anymore, a bunch of documents in front of him. Documents that were now soaked in blood flowing from the vice-captain's wrists. 


	26. Chapter 26

Iwaizumi's fingers slightly touched the skin of his left arm as the soldier observed the scars on his wrist. They were almost covered with other, small scars, but they were still visible: seven straight scars aligned neatly next to each other, every scar being longer than the previous one.  
The vice-captain sighed, touched the four scars on his upper arm slightly, and then gazed his right wrist. Five more.

Iwaizumi didn't really care about his looks, so he wasn't bothered by the countless scars he had. But these sixteen, neat scars were different. They were the only ones he didn't remember the story of.  
During his ten years in the military he had gotten many scars, more than one could count, but he remembered where he got them. Every Doll bite, scratch, cut from a harsh training session… He remembered all of them. All but these sixteen.

They were too neat to be Doll's scratches. Iwaizumi knew what they looked like – self-harm scars. Oikawa and Akaashi had even told him that they were really those, that Iwaizumi had hurt himself while trying to stay awake. The other men in the unit had said the same. Two years ago, was it?  
That had to be complete bullshit, Iwaizumi was sure of that. He would've remembered something like that. Besides, why would he do such a thing? Pain kept you awake, so you cut your wrists, huh? That was just plain stupid. He wasn't like that. All he needed was a cup of coffee.  
Or so he had thought. Right now, while sitting on the desk with a pile of documents in front of him, the small cup of coffee he had on the corner of his table seemed like a joke. It was the sixth cup today. During the span of eight hours. And still Iwaizumi found himself dozing off, just like he was right now.  
The brunet sighed and took a new paper from the pile of documents once more. These were all related to the fair, so thankfully he didn't need to do anything about them. No answers or actions needed. He just had to go these papers through to see who was coming to the fair, who was selling what and how many people they would have to guard. That information would be vital for them.

The vice-captain's eyes wandered off once again. It was difficult to concentrate when he was extremely tired, his leg was aching like crazy and his head was hurting. He wanted to go outside and breathe some fresh air, but he was stuck here with a bunch of paperwork.  
Without noticing, the brunet had been staring the wall of the fallen comrades' knives all this time. The wall was covered with knives of all sizes, even one sword was there. Those had all belonged to the unit's soldiers, and Iwaizumi didn't want to throw them away. He squinted his tired, foggy eyes and tilted his head. Staying awake because of the pain? Would that even work?  
The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that it actually would work. It would be easier to deal with a sharp, individual pain that covered all the other aching under it. He had been able to concentrate with almost fatal wounds, because the pain had been so sharp it had kept him on the edge. But the state he was in right now was far from sharp – it was foggy, numbing pain, that didn't have a single source. It almost felt like he was just being steadily crushed under something heavy but soft, that he wouldn't know the fatality of the situation before it was too late.  
Would it actually work?

Three sharp knocks made Iwaizumi flinch, and he turned his gaze from the knife wall to the door. "Hajime, are you there?" He noticed Oikawa's voice instantly, even though it sounded somehow foggy.  
"Yep", the vice-captain answered. "What is it?"  
"Could you open the door?"  
The brunet sighed and stood up from his chair, tramping to the door and turning the lock. Oikawa opened the door and Iwaizumi had to squint his eyes because of the light coming from the other room.  
"I just thought you should eat something", Oikawa stated and raised his other hand, showing a pack of three sandwiches. "You have been here for hours."  
"Oh", Iwaizumi mumbled. "Thanks, I guess." He took the sandwiches from the sniper and plodded back to his desk. He was completely aware that Oikawa followed his every step and tried to see what state his mind was in now.

"Sorry about the yelling", the taller brunet said when Iwaizumi had sat down, referring to their little fight yesterday. "I was just concerned."  
"You don't need to be", the vice-captain sighed. "I'll be fine, Tooru, really. You are worrying too much."  
The sniper slowly shook his head but didn't insist anything. Silence fell between them, and Iwaizumi opened the sandwich pack. He didn't really have any appetite, but Oikawa was right – he should really eat something. The headache was probably caused by too much coffee and the hunger combined.  
"You don't usually keep your door locked", Oikawa stated after Iwaizumi had taken the first bite of the smallest sandwich. The vice-captain gazed his team-mate with raised brows.  
"And?" he mumbled. "I just needed to concentrate, that's all."  
"It would be safer to keep it open", the taller soldier said. "You would be easier to reach, and you could reach the others more easily."  
"It's not difficult to just open the lock."

Again, silence. Iwaizumi had now eaten half of the first sandwich, and he put the rest of it back to the pack. Half of it was more than enough to make him feel nauseous.  
"How is the planning going?" Oikawa then asked, breaking the silence once again. "You haven't talked with Kunimi at all. Do you have the plans for the fair ready?"  
For a moment all Iwaizumi could do was stare the sniper. The plans. He had to do the plans, too. Oikawa turned his head, meeting the other's eyes, and furrowed his brows.  
"You don't have them?"  
"Shit", Iwaizumi mumbled, leaning his head on his hand. "That little fucker really threw that task for me too, yes. I didn't remember."  
Oikawa cursed a little under his breath, crossing his arms with a frustrated expression. "Well, we still have three days left. I can talk to Kunimi, I guess we will go with the same plan as last year?"  
"Not really", Iwaizumi sighed. "We need to be closer to the people. Last time we were guarding them from afar, but I don't want to take risks this year. The Dolls are more active than before, after all. Also, we need to check Keiji's position. He can't be left alone."  
"What? Why?"  
"His father was released from prison", the vice-captain told with a concerned frown on his face. "That shithead will most probably come to the fair. We can't leave Keiji alone for a slightest moment."  
"Oh", Oikawa mumbled quietly. "So that's why Yuki came to visit him here instead of the fair?"  
The shorter brunet nodded. "Anyways, there will be some changes. I need to discuss with Kunimi myself."  
"Nah, I can tell those things", Oikawa assured. "I think it would be better if you would leave that task to us. We can show you the completed plan, and you can then point out the mistakes if you find any. Alright?"  
"I guess so, since I really don't have time for any more tasks", Iwaizumi hummed. "These documents are killing me already. You better make up a good plan, so I don't need to fix everything about it."  
For Iwaizumi's surprise Oikawa didn't look relieved at all. Spooked and concerned if anything. The taller brunet was quiet for a while, just observing the other's eyes.  
"Great", he then said, flashing a quick smile for the vice-captain. "We won't mess up, don't worry. But Hajime, are you sure you'll be alright here?" the sniper asked, tilting his head a little. "Wouldn't it be better to go to the kitchen or something? The air is way fresher there, you're going to get a headache here."  
*Already got one, thanks for the concern*, Iwaizumi thought. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head, too. Then he sighed and stood up, collecting the documents from his desk.  
"You could just say if you want to keep an eye on me that badly", the soldier huffed. "Fine. I'll move there, but only because I got all the most important things done already."  
A little bit of the tenseness of Oikawa's shoulders faded, and he flashed another smile before turning around and exiting the room.

Iwaizumi picked the last documents and the sandwich pack, quickly glancing the wall of knives. Then the brunet sighed again, shook his head and walked to the door.  
It would have been a stupid idea anyway.


End file.
